Southcoast Health marks 25th Anniversary of service to southeastern MA and RI

FALL RIVER, NEW BEDFORD and WAREHAM, Mass. – On June 9, 1996, Charlton Memorial, St. Luke’s and Tobey hospitals joined to form Southcoast Health.

Twenty-five years later, the not-for-profit community health system spans 900 square miles, from Aquidneck Island to Cape Cod, caring for hundreds of thousands of people at its three hospitals, multiple surgical centers, seven urgent cares and dozens of practices.

In the decades since its founding, Southcoast has made the following services, among others, available to residents of southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island:

Southcoast Cardiovascular Care Center at Charlton Memorial
St. Luke’s Emergency Department, Rapid Assessment Zone and Pediatric Rooms
St. Luke’s ICU
Southcoast Weight Loss Center
Southcoast Cares and Mobile Wellness Van to address health inequities and barriers to access
Southcoast Cancer Centers in Fairhaven and Fall River
Southcoast Brain and Spine Center
Two Southcoast Breast Centers for Women’s Health
Seven Southcoast Urgent Care Centers
Southcoast Visiting Nurse Association (VNA)
Three-time Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals (2019-2021) for Southcoast Hospitals Group
A new Tobey Emergency Department (due to open in early 2022)
COVID-19 response and vaccination efforts

“I continue to marvel at the deep investment Southcoast has made in our community, and am profoundly grateful for the trust our community has invested right back in us. This connection is unique, enduring and intrinsic to our mission,” Southcoast Health President & CEO Keith Hovan told the system’s 7,500 employees in a letter sent to them this week.

“You earned that trust. You, our nurses. You, our physicians and providers. You, our clinical staff and support services. You, our dedicated administrative professionals. You, and all who preceded you in service to Southcoast Health and the South Coast region. Because of you, and because of our supporters, partners and patients, Southcoast is leading the way in defining 21st-century community health.”

Southcoast Health will continue commemorating its 25th Anniversary throughout 2021, with a series of events and festivities planned. For more information, please visit https://www.southcoast.org/25thanniversary/.

About Southcoast Health
Celebrating the system’s 25th anniversary in 2021, Southcoast Health is a not-for-profit, charitable organization and the largest provider of primary and specialty care in the region, serving communities in Rhode Island and across Southeastern Massachusetts. Southcoast Health is a Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospital in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Out of the 2,743 considered hospitals in the United States, only 250 earned this recognition. In 2020 and 2021, St. Luke’s is a Newsweek and Leapfrog’s Best Maternity Hospitals. In 2019 and 2020, the Southcoast Health system also received seven awards, including Best Hospitals and Best Place to Work, in Southcoast Media Group’s Best of the Best Awards voted on by residents and readers.