Community Medical Center Hosted 11th Annual Food Drive

Pictured: Michael Mimoso, MHSA, FACHE, President and CEO, helps weigh the food donated by Community Medical Center staff with the assistance of Thomas Yanisko, Administrative Director, Hospitality Services, and Patrick Ahearn, Chief Operation Officer. Donations during the hospital’s 2017 Health Care Harvest Food Drive totaled over 20,100 pounds of food donated to area food banks and pantries.

For the past eleven years, Community Medical Center employees and members of the Medical Staff have collected and donated to local food pantries through Health Care Harvest, the hospital's annual summer food drive.

Over 20,100 pounds of food was donated this year, including a generous $5,000 donation from the Community Medical Center Medical Staff. Cumulatively over the past eleven years, 174,730 pounds of food has been donated to area food banks.

The food drive is founded by and has been run by Thomas Yanisko, Administrative Director, Hospitality Services at Community Medical Center. "The food drive coincides with the end of the school year since free meal programs are no longer available and we don't want any child to go hungry," said Yanisko. "We want to make healthy food available to help establish healthy eating habits for children," he added.

Departments within the hospital compete amongst themselves to collect the most food. For the fifth consecutive year, the Finance Department earned the award for most food donated per person. They collected 118 pounds of food per person. The Emergency Department collected 2,564 pounds followed closely by the Radiology Department with 2,063 pounds of food donated.

Health Care Harvest is one of many programs Community Medical Center employees take part in as a way to give back to the community they serve. "Our goal is to keep the community healthy, and participating in the food drive is just another way to accomplish that," said Michael Mimoso, MHSA, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, Community Medical Center. "Our employees and medical staff are incredibly generous. They give of themselves through the exceptional care they provide to our patients and by their support of numerous community outreach programs, like the food drive," he added.

In addition to the food drive, the hospital staff annually participate in a Tools for School backpack and schools supplies drive and a Holiday Toy Drive. The hospital also partners with the Barnegat school system to offer the Healthcare Learning Collaborative, which provides high school students a chance to learn about the wide variety of roles that take part in the operation of a hospital.

About Community Medical Center

Community Medical Center is the largest non-teaching hospital in the state and offers a comprehensive array of services and wellness programs for area residents.

Community Medical Center is a quality-focused institution and has been nationally recognized with The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for six Disease Specific programs - stroke, acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, cardiac rehabilitation and total joint replacement – hip and knee and overall hospital accreditation and multiple other accreditations for programs such as the Center for Sleep Disorders and Level 3 Epilepsy Center.

The Jay and Linda Grunin Neuroscience Institute offers sophisticated neurology and neurosurgery services including a neuro-interventional lab and bi-plane, a Primary Stroke Center, and Level 3 Epilepsy program for children and adults. Cardiac care features three cardiac catheterization labs and elective and emergency angioplasty programs for patients with heart disease. Patients have access to advanced cancer care at the J. Phillip Citta Regional Cancer Center which offers one of the most sophisticated linear accelerators used for radiation therapy and a CyberKnife for treating inoperable tumors. Surgical services include the first robotic surgery program in Ocean County featuring the daVinci Si robotic surgical platform. As a trusted provider of maternal and children’s services, a Level 2 special care nursery with onsite neonatologists for newborns requiring special care, a dedicated pediatric unit and a pediatrician in the Emergency Department are provided. The Emergency Department is one of the busiest in the state.

Community Medical Center is dedicated to improving the health of local residents. A variety of community education programs are offered to help individuals - from infancy through the senior years - increase wellness and quality of life.