| For Immediate Release | Contact: Joyce Brennan |
| December 4, 2008 | 508-961-5270 |
| brennanj@southcoast.org | |
 Get this release in Word format |
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This news release was issued by the New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce. Please contact Roy Nascimento, President & CEO, at 508-999-5231.
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| Southcoast Hospitals Group received the 2008 SouthCoast Education Leadership Award from the New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce. From left, Elaine Wilcox, Training Specialist at Southcoast; Chamber Board Chair Peter Muise; Chamber President & CEO Roy Nascimento, and Keith A. Hovan, President & CEO of Southcoast Hospitals Group. | |
This award recognizes one business or organization each year that has demonstrated a long-term commitment to improving educational opportunities for students in the South Coast region. The recipient of the award is selected by a committee from the Chamber's Greater New Bedford Connecting Activities Partnership.
Southcoast Hospitals was selected for the prestigious award for its long history of investing in the community through educational partnerships that help secure the future of the region's youth.
These partnerships range from sponsoring an essay contest for eighth graders on "What a Nurse Means to Me" to judging science fairs to conducting a School-to-Career program which allows high school students to explore careers in health care through internships, job shadowing, hospital tours, career fairs, presentations to parents and programs for guidance counselors.
In 2008, 34 student interns from the Greater New Bedford Connecting Activities Partnership have had the opportunity to experience health care first-hand including the opportunity to observe a variety of surgeries ranging from knee replacements to c-sections. These internship opportunities provide high school students from New Bedford, Fairhaven, Fall River, Dartmouth, and Wareham with exposure to a wide range of medical disciplines. Students gain knowledge for their academic activity and have a distinct advantage when applying to college nursing and medical programs.
Southcoast Hospitals also partners with numerous colleges, high schools and specialized training schools and programs to provide students who are training for careers in health care with clinical and practical experience. Some of those health careers include nursing, medical assistant, respiratory care, radiology and cardiac ultrasound. More than 1,000 students pass through Southcoast doors each year to gain the practical experience they need to become health care workers.
Southcoast also provides a variety of educational opportunities for its own employees to further their careers through onsite professional development, a generous tuition reimbursement program and special programs for employees training for hard-to-fill jobs.
The award was accepted by Keith A. Hovan, President & CEO of Southcoast Hospitals Group, and Elaine Wilcox, Training Specialist for Southcoast Hospitals Group.
Southcoast Hospitals Group is a subsidiary of Southcoast Health System, a not-for-profit community based health delivery system that includes the three hospitals — Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham. Southcoast serves more than 30 communities throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and East Bay, R.I.
The New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce is a private, non-profit business association based in the City of New Bedford, MA. Chartered in 1885, the Chamber serves nearly 1,000 member businesses of all sizes from virtually all industries in the ten communities of New Bedford, Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Freetown, Mattapoisett, Marion, Rochester, Wareham, and Westport. The Chamber supports and promotes the local business community through leadership in public advocacy, education, networking, information, and community development.
About Southcoast
Southcoast Health System is a community based health delivery system with multiple access points, offering an integrated continuum of health services throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. It includes the three hospitals that make up Southcoast Hospitals Group — Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.
Southcoast provides advanced clinical services, such as open heart surgery, angioplasty and heart rhythm services, neurosurgery, weight loss surgery, orthopedic surgery and advanced imaging services. Southcoast is a not-for-profit charitable organization that depends on the support of the community to provide services.
More information is available onlinwww.southcoast.org.
Media Contact
Joyce Faria Brennan
Public Information Officer
Phone: 508-961-5270
Pager: 508-387-9605
Fax: 508-961-5876
brennanj@southcoast.org
