(Camden, New Jersey) Cooper University Hospital is pleased to announce that it has received the Silver Performance Achievement Award from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s Get with the Guidelines Program for excellence in the management of heart failure. Heart Failure affects over five million Americans, accounting for more than one million hospital admissions each year. Hospitals in this program are recognized for using evidence-based guidelines in each of the categories Get With The Guidelines measures. Those hospitals marking 85 percent compliance for 12 consecutive months are given the Silver Performance Achievement award.

(Camden, New Jersey) The Cooper Health System has appointed retired U.S. Magistrate Judge Joel B. Rosen as General Counsel. In this role, Mr. Rosen will oversee all legal issues related to the operation of Cooper, and provide advice and representation to help Cooper fulfill its mission and meet its goals. He will assume his new role at Cooper effective October 1, 2009. “Mr. Rosen has had a long and distinguished career both as a practicing lawyer and as a Judge,” said John P. Sheridan, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer at Cooper. “During these very complex times for the U.S. health care industry, we are pleased to have someone with such a wealth of legal experience joining our leadership team.”

(CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY) — Cooper University Hospital and its Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery is proud to announce the approval of the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Fellowship Program. Full accreditation was granted by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) on June 26, 2009. Sanjay Kumar, M.D., has already begun his two years of training at Cooper; and the new program has also secured a 2010 fellowship for Nyali Taylor, from the University of Pennsylvania.

New program launched in Camden with help of significant grants from PSE&G and the Cooper Foundation (Camden, New Jersey) Among balloons, bubbles and the laughter of children playing on brand-new playground equipment, officials from the city, county and state joined community and business leaders to celebrate the launch of the “Clean and Safe Cooper Plaza” program this morning at the newly re-opened Cooper Commons Park. This dual celebration was the first event to be held at the park and marks its grand re-opening.

On Wednesday, June 10, 2009, Chris Gunderson, a 17-year-old Eagle Scout candidate from Mount Laurel, N.J., donated 30 blankets to the Cooper Cancer Institute. These blankets will benefit cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Gunderson is a member of Boy Scout Troop 44 in Moorestown, N.J. He is working toward achieving Eagle Scout status - the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).

Cooper University Hospital is proud to appoint Michael Sinno as Vice President and Chief Information Officer. “It’s an honor and humbling experience to be selected as CIO of Cooper University Hospital,” said Sinno. “It’s a reward in itself to be able to come to work each day doing something that I truly love.”

Cooper University Hospital is proud to appoint Carolyn E. Bekes, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer. “Dr. Bekes has had a very successful career at Cooper and has served in many and varied capacities. Through effective leadership and hard work, I am confident that she will continue to excel within this new position.” said John P. Sheridan, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer.

Cooper University Hospital has taken the positive step of officially becoming a smoke-free campus for all employees, patients and visitors to all of our inpatient, outpatient and business offices. Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. Each year more than 400,000 lives lost – 25 percent of all deaths—are related to tobacco use. In addition, exposure to secondhand smoke causes thousands of deaths each year from lung cancer and heart disease in healthy non-smokers.

(CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY) Cooper University Hospital has appointed Jeffrey P. Carpenter, M.D., as Vice President for Perioperative Services. “Dr. Carpenter has superior clinical, academic and administrative skills,” says John P. Sheridan, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer. “I am confident that he will provide effective leadership that will contribute to the achievement of the overall strategic mission, productivity standards and expense management.”

(Camden, New Jersey) Cooper University Hospital and the Health Professionals & Allied Employees (HPAE), the union representing Cooper nurses, have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. The contract is scheduled to be voted on by nurses Tuesday, May 26, 2009. "People turn to Cooper for their health care needs when they face the most serious injuries and medical conditions. And when they come to Cooper, very often, the first health professional they meet are the outstanding Cooper nurses," said George E. Norcross, III, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Cooper. "This tentative contract agreement proves our continued commitment to our nurses."