Thanks to health care providers for commitment to community

Hospitals occasionally, when a loved one is sick or a friend is having a baby. Associates at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center are different in this regard.

Each day, hundreds of associates come to the hospital to provide compassionate, personalized care for friends, neighbors and those they do not know. Our clinical staff works around the clock, seven days a week, to make health care available any time it is needed — whether for one person, or a multitude.

National Hospital Week, established in 1953 and celebrated this year from May 10 to May 16, honors the dedication of all the men and women who deliver and support the care provided in hospitals. The dates overlap those for Nurses Week (May 6 to 12 this year) and were chosen to coincide with Florence Nightingale’s birthday, in recognition of her efforts to revolutionize the way hospitals were run in the United States.

Although much has changed in health care since the mid- to late-1800s when Nightingale cared for patients, one thing has remained constant: hospitals are foundations of their communities, nurturing and caring for individuals from all walks of life.

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center is proud to serve the Mat-Su Valley by providing the most-needed, highest quality clinical care. Last year, our hospital touched the lives of thousands of local residents and visitors.

We performed 7,000 surgeries, delivered 700 babies, and cared for 28,000 patients in our emergency room. In all, we served more than 100,000 patients last year.

Through the teamwork and commitment of our associates, we were named one of the nation’s Top Performers for the second consecutive year by The Joint Commission — the nation’s leading accreditor of hospitals. We also were named one of 150 Great Places to Work in Health Care, and earned accreditation as a National Chest Pain Center.

Hospitals are significant contributors to the communities they serve. In addition to providing vital health-care services, hospitals are also major employers in the community. According to the American Hospital Association, hospitals provide more than 5.5 million jobs across the United States.

This Hospital Week, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center is pleased to recognize our associates and other health-care providers for their ongoing commitment to the community and thank them for tireless dedication to the well-being of our neighbors.