Southern Ocean Medical Center Foundation to Host Signature Social to Raise Funds for SOMC Surgical Expansion
Over fifty years ago, dedicated residents of Long Beach Island with a vision to establish a community hospital united. For two decades, they diligently raised funds to ensure local access to quality health care, culminating in the opening of Hackensack Meridian Southern Ocean Medical Center, originally Southern Ocean County Hospital, in 1972. Today, philanthropy continues to be vital to Southern Ocean Medical Center, exemplified by the upcoming annual Signature Social hosted by the Southern Ocean Medical Center Foundation to raise funds for a significant surgical expansion to address the community’s growing healthcare needs.
The 2023 Signature Social at Bonnet Island Estate. Left to Right: Erwin Moy, M.D.; Jason Nehmad, M.D., MBA, FACP, CPE, Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Southern Ocean Medical Center; James Nangeroni, DO; MaryClair Reese, Interim Director of Perioperative Services, Southern Ocean Medical Center; Roman Ashmyan, DO; Dawn Heath,DNP, MBA, MHA, RN, Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive; Jonathan Reich, M.D.; Karl Strom, M.D., F.A.C.S.
The Southern Ocean Medical Center Foundation will hold its annual Signature Social at The Farm on Main, a new venue, in West Creek on Friday, July 26. Proceeds from this event will contribute to the estimated $31.5 million surgical expansion project, which will modernize the hospital’s surgical suite over a thirty-month period. The expansion includes enlarging six state-of-the-art operating rooms to over 600 square feet to accommodate a range of procedures and extending the sterile processing department — a critical component of all surgical suites.
From left to right: Michele Morrison, president and chief hospital executive of Southern Ocean Medical Center; and Joseph and Lori Rulli, event co-chairs of Southern Ocean Medical Center Foundation’s Signature Social.
Over the past decade, amid substantial residential and commercial growth in Southern Ocean County, the hospital has expanded its services to accommodate the influx of full-time residents, particularly heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic. This project promises to significantly reduce patient wait times.
The upcoming expansion marks the first major upgrade for Southern Ocean Medical Center in twenty years, energizing the community to rally together once again, leveraging philanthropic efforts to advance the founders’ vision.
For tickets or sponsorships, visit GiveHMH.org/SOMCSocial. For more information on supporting the surgical expansion project, contact James Young, executive director of Southern Ocean Medical Center Foundation, at james.young@hmhn.org or 609-978-3040.
