Building Momentum: A Message from the President

In 2009 Shore Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Department treated more than 45,500 patients, a record number for the hospital and a reminder that the number of people in need of healthcare doesn’t waver in a struggling economy. And neither should a hospital’s commitment to care.

With eyes always to the future, we continue to forge ahead on several new construction projects that will enable us to continue offering our patients leading-edge care for years to come. These include our $125 million hospital expansion that features a new four-story Surgical Pavilion, and a $14 million project to build medical offices in Egg Harbor Township.

As Shore Memorial’s campus and services expand, our primary goal continues to be providing the most advanced and compassionate care possible to our patients.

In 2009 the Joint Commission – the nation’s predominant standard-setting accrediting body in healthcare – reaccredited Shore Memorial as a Primary Stroke Center and also reaccredited the hospital’s Lumbar and Cervical Spine Surgery programs, an honor that only a few hospitals nationwide have received. The New Jersey State Department of Health and Senior Services also recently designated Shore Memorial as a Primary Stroke Center.

In addition, Shore Memorial remains the only hospital in the region to be affiliated with both Penn Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, two world-renowned health systems.

Equally as important as clinical excellence in healthcare is a commitment to patient-centered care. This culture of caring is reflected in Shore Memorial’s Spirit of Shore, an initiative that focuses on the importance of thoughtful gestures and kind acts that can make a difference to patients and their family members. Through touch, kind words and thoughtful actions, Shore Memorial’s physicians, staff and volunteers take the time to focus on our patients’ emotional needs as well as their physical needs.

This culture of caring is further evident in Shore Memorial’s affiliation with Planetree, a global non-profit organization that promotes patient-centered care in healing environments.

As a community hospital it is our mission to care for the people around us, whether that means providing life-saving medical treatment or creating jobs so that members of our community can provide for their families. It is a responsibility that we have gladly shouldered for more than 70 years and will continue to do so.

Whatever difficulties may arise, help will be here… care of Shore Memorial.

Albert L. Gutierrez
FACHE, MBA, RT (R)
President and CEO