Official Dedication | July 16, 2007
July 16, 2007 | Jack Spillane: The best of SouthCoast is at St. Luke's in New Bedford
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U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., joined local leaders, state Sen. Mark C.W. Montigny, New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang and City Councilor Jane Gonsalves to officially dedicate the New St. Luke's on July 16.
Here are some of the thoughts they shared at the ribbon cutting for the $33 million project that is changing the way health care is delivered in the Greater New Bedford region.
U.S. Rep. Barney Frank |
State Sen. Mark C.W. Montigny |
Mayor Scott Lang |
City Councilor Jane Gonsalves |
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"We ought to have in this country a system in place where people won't have to go to Emergency Rooms as much as they do. "But until we get that system, the ER plays a very important role in health care. "The central function that Emergency Rooms offer in terms of health care and where we are today makes this a very important occasion. And that is why, along with my Congressional colleagues, I fought very hard to get the funding that has helped bring this project to St. Luke's. "Health care has improved enormously over the years and it is very important to make sure that the people of this city — who have other economic problems brought about by other national economic trends over which we've had no control, though we have fought hard to overcome — have the exact same access to the best possible, up-to-date medical care as anyone else. "And that is why St. Luke's is so important. I was very proud to work on securing funds for this project." |
"The best way to deliver health care is close to home. "It is, first and foremost, making sure everyone has a primary care physician and that health care is delivered in the office and then, when it's needed, at the community health center where it is less expensive and then, when need be, as an outpatient or an inpatient at a community hospital. "Today we have some of the best hospitals in the world in Boston that would suggest that they can do it better [than community hospitals]. "But in many cases the best thing we can do for people on the South Coast is to treat them at this hospital. "That is why I am proud to play a role in bringing these improved facilities to New Bedford." |
"I have had the good fortune of living in this immediate area since 1978 and I have seen St. Luke's go through many changes. "This hospital continues to meet the technological challenges that exist today in medical care and continues to modernize itself so that it is more user-friendly to the community. "You judge a community by its quality of life. And one of the major indicators of quality of life is the medical community. "We have great doctors, we have great nurses, we have great staff throughout this hospital. "The hospital is something we can all be very, very proud of and the doctors and nurses in this hospital are people who we really owe a debt of gratitude to." |
"As sometimes happens in the city of New Bedford, the St. Luke's project got off to a rocky start with nearby residents. "I am happy to report that from that rocky start, the hospital and the neighbors have formed a solid partnership to work for the expansion of St. Luke's without sacrificing the quality of life in the neighborhoods surrounding St. Luke's. "And that is a great thing for New Bedford and for Southcoast Health System." |
The Ribbon Cutting
U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., joins local leaders for a ribbon cutting ceremony in celebration of The New St. Luke's Hospital $33 million expansion and construction project in New Bedford. Pictured from left are Marcia Liggin, RN, Chief Nursing Officer, Southcoast Hospitals Group; Linda Bodenmann, Chief Operating Officer, Southcoast Health System; Jo Ann Rapoza, RN, Vice President of Patient Services, St. Luke's Hospital; Eileen Farley, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Southcoast Hospitals Group; Ronald Goodspeed, MD, President, Southcoast Hospitals Group; John B. Day, President & CEO, Southcoast Health System; U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.; State Sen. Mark C. W. Montigny, D-New Bedford; New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang; New Bedford City Councilor Jane L. Gonzalves, Ward 5; Gilbert Shapiro, MD, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Southcoast Health System; William Blasdale, Board of Trustees, Southcoast Health System; Paul Bulat, MD, Medical Director, Emergency Services, St. Luke's Hospital, and Barbara H. Mulville, CFRE, Senior Vice President, External Affairs, Southcoast Health System. (Photo by David Crowell).
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