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SMC CEO Ken Bateman 64th Outstanding Citizen

BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP TO HONOR KEN BATEMAN AS

64th SOMERSET COUNTY OUTSTANDING CITIZEN

Somerset Medical Center CEO to be Honored May 1, 2014

 

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BRIDGEWATER - NJ - The Somerset County Business Partnership has announced that Somerset Medical Center President and Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Bateman, CPA MHA, has been selected as the 64th Somerset County Outstanding Citizen of the Year.

 

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The award is given annually to one person for exemplary efforts demonstrating creativity, vision, leadership, and citizenship by providing volunteer efforts and business-related initiatives to programs and activities that positively impact the welfare, economic vitality, and quality of life of the Somerset County community.

 

Mr. Bateman will be honored at a dinner reception on Thursday, May 1, 2014, beginning at 5:30 P.M. at the Bridgewater Marriott, 700 Commons Way in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

 

The 2014 honor is bestowed in recognition of Mr. Bateman’s dedicated leadership at Somerset Medical Center and his untiring efforts to assure that Somerset County residents continue to have the opportunity to obtain world-class healthcare. Through his leadership and vision, the Medical Center has evolved from a local community hospital to a premier regional medical center administering nationally recognized programs and services that ensure Somerset County residents have access to the highest quality medical care close to home.

 

Since assuming the CEO position in 2004, he has overseen significant investments to build modern facilities and create a healthcare “campus” throughout the county. He spearheaded the largest expansion in the medical center’s history with the opening of a new Emergency Department and two hotel-caliber inpatient units (the Obzansky Surgical Pavilion and the Paul R. Nardoni Oncology Pavilion). He also led the building of The Steeplechase Cancer Center, bringing together all outpatient cancer care services under one roof on the medical center’s campus, including the state-of-the-art RapidArc radiation technology. The cancer center has been nationally recognized for its quality care and has earned a reputation for its caring, experienced staff, consistently ranking among the top in New Jersey in patient satisfaction.

Additional expansion projects initiated during his tenure include the Sleep for Life center in Hillsborough; a Medical Coordination Center and the Edward and Anita Hogan Neuroscience Pavilion, three physical therapy practices in Hillsborough, Princeton and Flemington; laboratory services in Bridgewater and Hillsborough and eight physician practices throughout Central New Jersey. A new urgent care center has opened in Hillsborough, providing walk-in family medical care seven days a week. A second urgent care center is scheduled to open in Flemington later this year.

Somerset Medical Center has become a leader in using information technology, attracting representatives from across the country and around the world to see how the medical center has used computers to revolutionize patient care.

On a community level, the medical center led the development of the Healthier Somerset coalition, a group of more than 40 organizations – including local schools and businesses, non-profits and government agencies – to improve the health of Somerset County. The medical center has also joined with the Community Visiting Nurse Association and six other Somerset County health care providers to provide a coordinated approach to the care of patients with chronic illnesses. For the past several years, the medical center has partnered with cardiologists to offer free cardiac screenings for hundreds of high school athletes.

In 2012, Bateman led a yearlong effort to explore potential partnerships that would position the medical center for long-term growth. In June, after a thoughtful and deliberate selection process that involved board members, physicians, and members of the executive team, the medical center made the decision to merge with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. The merger, which is expected to be finalized this spring, will give the community greater access to the highest quality care and leading medical specialists of the state’s premier academic medical center.

The dinner honoring the Citizen of the Year continues the six-decade long tradition of bringing the community together honor an individual’s volunteer efforts in support of the community in which he or she lives and works. Further the evening provides the opportunity to reflect on Somerset County’s rich history and the people who have provided the leadership that has contributed to that success.

 

Admission is $100 for Business Partnership members and their guests if purchased by Friday, April 25, 2014 and $110 thereafter. Non-member admission is $140 by Friday, April 25, 2014 and $150 thereafter. Deadline for reservations is Monday, April 28, 2014. Reservations may be made by calling the Business Partnership at 908-218-4300 or ordering online at http://bit.ly/Citizen2014. The Business Partnership provides an opportunity to congratulate the recipient with an advertisement in the Awards Journal. Information on the ad journal is available by calling 908-218-4300.

 

Recent Outstanding Citizen recipients are: Paul Stahlin, Rod Ryan, former Somerset County Freeholder Rick Fontana, Jim Ventantonio, Esq., Somerset County Administrator Dick Williams, Manville Mayor Angelo Corradino, Sen. Walter Kavanaugh, Steve Kalafer, Rich Reitman, Bernie Navatto, John Graf, Jr., Robert Corcoran, Christine Rose, Dan Puntillo, Donald Bowers, Evelyn Field, Frank & Audrey Dittman, Adele & Leonard Blumberg, David Prugh, Arlyn Rus, Richard Shive and Dave D’Alonzo.

 

The Outstanding Citizen of the Year award was first presented in 1950 to Somerville Mayor Howard Lyons who also served as president and director of the Somerville Trust Company. The announcement of the selection was made by George H. Shay, newly elected president of the Somerville Chamber of Commerce. Since that time residents and business leaders have gathered annually to honor men and women who have served the community as medical professionals, elected officials at the local and state level, newspaper publishers, clergy, business leaders, and philanthropists.

 

BATEMAN BACKGROUNDER

 

Mr. Bateman began his career at Somerset Medical Center in 2000, serving as chief financial officer before being promoted to his current position in 2004.  He has spent nearly 20 years in the health care industry, serving in a variety of capacities at acute care and rehabilitation hospitals and an outpatient psychiatric facility.

 

Mr. Bateman is a certified public accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration, both from Seton Hall University in South Orange. He holds a Black Belt in Lean/Six Sigma from Villanova University in Villanova, Pa.

 

Mr. Bateman recently stepped off the board of the New Jersey Hospital Association, a healthcare advocacy organization, having served two terms. He presently serves on the Raritan Valley Community College Foundation Board and the Board of Health First NJ. He is a member of the New Jersey State Society of Certified Public Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Hospital Financial Management Association and is a Chartered Global Management Accountant.



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