Newswise — Manahawkin, NJ – June 28, 2019 – The Hackensack Meridian Health Southern Ocean Medical Center Foundation is pleased to announce a gift of $1 million from Michael Armellino, to be used toward the expansion of the Cardiac Catheterization/Interventional Radiology Lab at Southern Ocean Medical Center.
“Southern Ocean Medical Center has already benefitted greatly from the Armellino family’s generosity,” says Arthur DeMarsico, D.O., a vascular surgeon at Southern Ocean Medical Center. “This gift will help us greatly advance cardiac care and vascular services for our patients and will have a transformational impact on our community for years to come. We are so thankful for their generosity.”
Long-time donors to Southern Ocean Medical Center, the Armellino family has previously given $1 million to name the Telemetry unit in memory of daughter, Tracy Armellino. They have also donated to the medical center’s emergency and cancer centers.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be able to give back,” says Mr. Armellino. “Southern Ocean Medical Center is my local hospital and I want to support the medical center’s efforts to offer the most advanced cardiac care to help our community when they are in need. I could not be happier to contribute to this great project.”
The upgrades to the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory will enable more patients to receive care using the finest diagnostic equipment. With more than 1,000,000 cardiac catheterizations occurring annually in the U.S. to diagnose the presence of heart, artery, or valve disease, evaluate the functionality of heart muscle and determine if there is a need for further treatment such as interventional procedures like balloon angioplasty, stent placement, or bypass surgery, having cutting-edge equipment is essential to patient outcomes.
“We are extremely grateful to Michael for his support,” says Regina Foley, PhD, MBA, RN, chief hospital executive of Southern Ocean Medical Center. “We must constantly grow to provide the most advanced diagnostics and treatments for our community. With the help of generous donors like the Armellino family, our medical center is better able to offer the care that patients deserve.”
Not only will the investment by Mr. Armellino benefit Southern Ocean Medical Center, but it brings Meridian Health Foundation, to which the Southern Ocean Medical Center Foundation belongs, one step closer to reaching its fundraising goal of $150 million as part of the organization’s Giving Heals campaign. The campaign supports four important initiatives: strengthening oncology services, improving clinical outcomes, enhancing the patient experience and broadening clinical research and academic programs. More than $95 million has been raised so far to benefit eight Hackensack Meridian Health hospitals, including Jersey Shore University Medical Center, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital, Bayshore Medical Center, Ocean Medical Center, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, Riverview Medical Center and Southern Ocean Medical Center.
To learn about how you can make a gift to Southern Ocean Medical Center or to the Giving Heals campaign, please call Jim Young, executive director, Southern Ocean Medical Center Foundation at 609-978-3040 or visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/givingheals.
ABOUT SOUTHERN OCEAN MEDICAL CENTER
Located in the heart of southern Ocean County, Hackensack Meridian Health Southern Ocean Medical Center has been caring for the community for over 40 years. With more than 400 physicians and over 1,000 dedicated health care professionals, the medical center provides comprehensive high-quality, advanced inpatient and outpatient services. Numerous investments have been made to facilities and services to bring a new level of innovative technology, advanced treatments and skilled expertise to the southern ocean community, including: bariatric surgery, urology and uro-gynecology, cardiovascular services and rehabilitation, advanced imaging services for expert screening, diagnostics and treatment, laboratory services, pain management, telemedicine for stroke patients, maternity, sleep medicine, convenient outpatient locations and two urgent care centers. Southern Ocean is designated by the ACS-MBSA QIP as the most comprehensive quality bariatric surgery program in the region.
The Emergency Department sees more than 40,000 patients of southern Ocean County each year in a setting that reinforces comfort, privacy and compassion. A committed focus to expanding physician expertise has increased the scope of advanced specialty care available close to home. The completion of the state-of-the-art Cancer Care Center provides a single destination for multidisciplinary cancer treatment and advanced radiation therapies and the new Vascular Surgery Center provides specialized care and expert diagnosis and treatment of arterial and venous disease. The nurses and allied health providers are consistently recognized as providing high-quality, personalized care to patients and their families. Southern Ocean was awarded an ‘A’ rating in the spring 2019 Leapfrog Safety Grade and received a four star rating from the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services for overall hospital quality. The nursing team achieved Magnet® status, the nation’s highest honor of nursing excellence for nursing practice, quality and safety in patient care. The Diabetes Self-Management Education Service (DSMES) has been awarded continued Education Recognition by the American Diabetes Association for offering high-quality education services. Southern Ocean Medical Center’s Project Aware program was highlighted in the 2018 Commerce and Industry of New Jersey CEO Best Practices Award and the medical center has been honored for Environmental Excellence by Practice Greenhealth. Southern Ocean is a designated primary stroke center and has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report in 2018-19 as a high performing hospital in heart failure.
ABOUT GIVING HEALS
Giving Heals is a $150 million regional comprehensive campaign to raise funds for strengthening oncology services, improving clinical outcomes, enhancing the patient experience and broadening clinical research and academic programs. Publicly announced at the Meridian Health Foundation Gala on November 17, 2018, the campaign will run through 2020. Over $90 million dollars has been raised to date to support following Hackensack Meridian Health medical centers: Jersey Shore University Medical Center, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital, Ocean Medical Center, Riverview Medical Center, Raritan Bay Medical Center – Perth Amboy, Raritan Bay Medical Center – Old Bridge, Southern Ocean Medical Center and Bayshore Medical Center.
###
RSS