CLARA MAASS MEDICAL CENTER CELEBRATES 50 YEARS
AS A "GOOD NEIGHBOR" IN BELLEVILLE

BELLEVILLE, N.J. August 9, 2007— Clara Maass Medical Center, an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, celebrated its 50th year in Belleville with a commemoration ceremony on Thursday, August 9. The event was held in front of the hospital's original main entrance, the same spot which marked the ceremonial dedication of the hospital 50 years ago on August 11, 1957.

"Clara Maass Medical Center embodies a rich history, and we wanted this ceremony to be held in a very similar format to the dedication that was held when this facility opened its doors for the first time in Belleville," said Thomas A. Biga, Executive Director of Clara Maass Medical Center. "Fifty years ago on August 18, 1957, Clara Maass Medical Center relocated from Newton Street and 12th Avenue in Newark to 'Nanny Goat Hill' in Belleville. Since that memorable day which ushered in a new era for a hospital that was originally chartered in 1868, Clara Maass has remained devoted to the community by providing accessible, compassionate health care to those in need."

Following welcoming remarks by Mr. Biga, Father Jack Donahue gave an invocation, and the Nutley Veterans for Foreign Wars Color Guard raised the American Flag. Then Belleville Township Mayor Raymond Kimble presented a proclamation recognizing the 50th anniversary of Clara Maass in Belleville, and was followed by Thomas Kelaher, Chair of the Clara Maass Board of Trustees, who recited a resolution on behalf of the Trustees.

The program then turned nostalgic, as Angela Cuozzo-Zarro, President of the Clara Maass Auxiliary, related her experience as a young girl who grew up in the Silver Lake section of Belleville, and recalled picking mulberries and playing at Nanny Goat Hill before construction on had begun. Marie D'Alessandro, retired Director of Volunteer Services, followed with a first person description of "Operation Good Neighbor," the name for the move from Newark to Belleville. Mr. Biga then recapped a highlight of accomplishments over the past 50 years.

The program concluded with the dedication of a monument led by Michael Pontoriero, M.D., President of the Clara Maass Medical Staff, in honor and memory of employees, physicians and volunteers that have serviced Clara Maass Medical Center and the community for the last half century.

Moving to Nanny Goat Hill
For the past 50 years, Clara Maass Medical Center has remained true to the community of Belleville, providing accessible and compassionate healthcare to those in need. It is a relationship that began on warm day on August 18, 1957, when Executive Director Al Oberg reported for duty at 6 a.m. for what would be called "Operation Good Neighbor." The project was to move the hospital from its cramped quarters in Newark to a new site in Belleville, an up and coming area with an equally growing need for a community-based medical center.

Through the efforts of a small army of 160 Civil Defense volunteers, Boy Scouts and Explorer Scouts, auxiliary police and air raid wardens, along with physicians and nurses, transferred 42 patients —24 of them on stretchers— the three and a half miles to their new home. At 2:45 p.m. that day, the first baby was delivered at the Belleville site, and she was appropriately named Clara Maass Ramos Nunes.

A Rich History
In the mid-1800s, Germans came to one of young America's leading industrial cities - Newark, New Jersey. Recognizing the need to establish a hospital to care for the sick, a group of German immigrants established a charitable city-wide hospital for those with limited resources. In 1918, Newark German Hospital was renamed Newark Memorial Hospital and then Lutheran Memorial Hospital. In 1952 the name was changed to Clara Maass Memorial Hospital, and later Clara Maass Medical Center.

Born in 1876 in East Orange, the organization's namesake Clara Louise Maass was the first nurse honored on a postage stamp and the first nurse for whom an American Hospital was named. Clara volunteered in 1900 for work in Cuba in the campaign to control yellow fever, and she died while participating in an inoculation experiment. Clara was one of 19 participants and the only woman, as well as the only American.

Clara Maass Medical Center Today
Today, Clara Maass is a 465-bed facility, staffed by more than 600 physicians and 1,600 employees delivering care to the community. Clara Maass Medical Center carries on a rich tradition of health care as evidenced in its numerous centers of excellence. These include The Continuing Care Centers of Belleville and Kearny; Progressive Imaging Center; Women's Health Center; Nuclear Medicine Department; The Cancer Center; Cardiac Services, including emergency angioplasty; The Orthopedic Spine & Joint Institute; The Wound Center; Same Day Surgery; Maternity Center; Pediatrics; and Emergency Services.

CONTACT:
Dennis Wilson, Jr.
Office- (973) 322-4925
dwilson@sbhcs.com

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