In addition to the Pocono Health System Board of Directors, four separate Boards of Directors contribute to the success of Pocono Health System. The Pocono Health System Board of Directors is comprised of one member from each of the five subsidiary Boards.

At least one member from each of the subsidiary Boards serves on the Pocono Health System/Pocono Medical Center Board of Directors. This Board of Directors includes some physicians who are on active staff at the Medical Center.

The subsidiary Boards oversee and govern each entity in Pocono Health System, including:

Message from Pocono Health System/Pocono Medical Center
Board of Directors Chairman
Gary Olson

It is my great honor and privilege to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Pocono Health System/ Pocono Medical Center (PHS/PMC). For nearly a century, this organization has remained dedicated to providing the best possible healthcare, close to home. This commitment is made evident in the number of high-quality services and new initiatives recently made possible in order to better serve our patients.

Our most significant addition this year was achieving a Level III Trauma designation. This designation means that we have an expert team of trauma surgeons, physicians and staff capable of delivering advanced, lifesaving care for severely injured patients. Having access to specialized trauma care can literally be a lifeline for community; studies show that receiving care within one hour following a traumatic accident can have a significant impact on survival rates. Our ability to treat these types of patients immediately, and with some of the most advanced techniques and technologies possible, represents a crucial milestone for the organization and the community.

To be sure, excellence lies at the heart of this organization, delivering a steady pulse of progress and innovation to ensure the best possible care for our patients. Our ESSA Heart and Vascular Institute (HVI), which was launched just two years ago, has already received national recognition for superior cardiac care. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons recently awarded our program three stars-the highest-for overall care of coronary artery bypass procedures, placing PMC in the top echelon of heart programs across the country. This achievement, which was based on comprehensive analysis of national data from January through December 2008, is achieved by only approximately ten percent of hospitals nationwide.

Likewise, multiple third party accolades testify to the exceptional, high-quality care delivered by our Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center. The Hughes Center recently received a three-year approval with Commendation from The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS), which noted the Center met and in some cases exceeded practice standards. Our Cancer Center has also ranked in the top 90th percentile nationwide for highest patient satisfaction, according to Press Ganey, the leading independent healthcare ratings firm in the country.

As we look toward the future, we continue to do so with a firm focus on how to address the most pertinent healthcare needs of our ever-changing community. Just as we opened the ESSA HVI in response to the number one cause of death in our area-heart diseas-so, too, will we continue to deliver services that best serve our community, today and tomorrow.