Southcoast Health System & Southcoast Hospitals Group eNews

Give a pint ~ get a pound!

For the seventh consecutive year, Dunkin' Donuts® is teaming up with the Southcoast Blood Bank at St. Luke's Hospital to encourage local residents to donate blood.

In January 2011, anyone — including Southcoast employees — who donates blood at the Southcoast Blood Bank at St. Luke's Hospital or at any Southcoast Blood Bank site or blood drive will receive a certificate for a pound of Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Coupons are redeemable at any Dunkin' Donuts shop. Southcoast employees also receive a day off when they donate three times within an 18-month period.

Stop by the Southcoast Blood Bank at St. Luke's Hospital Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., or Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Appointments are requested, but not necessary, and can be made by calling 508-961-5320.

The Southcoast Health Van also holds blood drives several times each month.

www.southcoast.org/bloodbank/

BankFive donates $100,000 to Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care

Pictured left to right: Bill Eccles, Executive Vice President & COO of BankFive; Thomas F. Lyons, President & CEO of BankFive; Keith A. Hovan, President of Southcoast Health System and President & CEO of Southcoast Hospitals Group, and Barbara H. Mulville, CFRE, Senior Vice President of External Affairs for Southcoast Health System.
BankFive recently donated $100,000 to support the Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care in Fall River and the new flagship outpatient facility in Fairhaven, which is currently under construction and set to open in early 2011.

"We are grateful to BankFive for their generous support of our efforts to bring the best cancer care available to the South Coast region. Our new cancer center is being built on a foundation of strong community support that is driven by and would not be possible without — the generous support of our community leaders," said John B. Day, CEO of Southcoast Health System.

BankFive, South Coast's independent community bank and one of the top regional banks in Massachusetts, committed a donation of $20,000 per year over the next five years.

"When we heard that more than 3,500 new cases of cancer are diagnosed in the South Coast region each year — and our region's incident rate is six percent higher than the state average — we knew we had to do something," said Thomas F. Lyons, President & CEO of BankFive. "This holiday season the best gift we could give our community is a donation to Southcoast's Cancer Center."

Keith A. Hovan, President of Southcoast Health System and President & CEO of Southcoast Hospitals Group, said Bank Five's donation is another example of the strong community support the Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care has been receiving. "The Southcoast Centers of Cancer Care will save lives and care for patients now and for years to come. BankFive's generous donation will help Southcoast continue to meet the needs of our community by providing the best care available right here in the South Coast region."

www.southcoast.org/news/releases/2010/112210.html

A video chat with New Bedford sculptor

We recently caught up with New bedford sculptor John Magnan, who took a few minutes to chat about his suspended sculpture "Hope: A Mobile of Sails" that hangs from the ceiling in the lobby of St. Luke's Hospital.

Watch the two-minute video on our YouTube channel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCXIUJ9GAk8

Blood Bank receives national accreditation

Southcoast Hospitals Group has been granted accreditation by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). Accreditation follows an intensive onsite assessment by specially trained AABB assessors and establishes that the level of medical, technical and administrative performance within the facility meets or exceeds the standards set by the association.

"Southcoast Hospitals Group voluntarily seeks AABB accreditation because it validates the high level of professional proficiency and technical expertise achieved by our blood bank and transfusion staff every day at our three hospitals," said John K. Laverty, MD, Medical Director of the St. Luke's and Tobey hospitals blood banks. Thomas Kiefer, MD, is the Medical Director of the Charlton Memorial Hospital blood bank.

The AABB accreditation program thoroughly assesses the quality and operational processes in place in the laboratories, including collecting, processing, testing, distributing and administering blood and cellular therapy. Southcoast Hospitals Group has laboratories at all three hospitals — Charlton Memorial in Fall River, St. Luke's in New Bedford and Tobey in Wareham — as well as at the Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care in Fall River and Dartmouth. The Southcoast Blood Bank collects blood donations for the community at the Southcoast Blood Bank at St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford and on the Southcoast Health Van.