Kennedy Health and Jefferson Health complete their merge, while Mayor Joann Gattinelli looks to the past and present for community events
Kennedy Health and Jefferson Health merge
I am pleased to announce the merging of Kennedy Health and Jefferson Health. This is the first time a Philadelphia Health System has made the decision to merge with a Southern New Jersey Health System, and we are happy to welcome Jefferson Health to Washington Township. The official unveiling of the new signage took place on Oct. 4 at Kennedy Hospital in Cherry Hill, where the President and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health Stephen Klasko, and President and CEO of Kennedy Health Joseph W. Devine joined the Jefferson board members for a formal signing to celebrate the official merger of the two organizations. Joseph Devine will now be the president of Jefferson Health’s New Jersey Division. I was happy to celebrate this occasion and be invited to this exciting event, along with Business Administrator Jason Gonter and Les Vail from the Gloucester County Chamber of Commerce. The signs in Washington Township have now been updated to the new Jefferson signs, symbolizing the completion of the merger.
Home Depot Safety Event
I was happy to attend Washington Township’s Community Safety Day Event on Oct. 7, which was hosted by Washington Township Home Depot. Personnel from all of Washington Township’s emergency response agencies were in attendance, including the police department, fire department and EMS. Gloucester County Office of Emergency Management was also there informing the community about how they assist with emergencies on the county level and promoted “Everbridge,” their text and email alert notification system at www.gloucesteralert.com.
The Washington Township emergency agencies held several safety demonstrations and interactive activities for kids, such as severe storm simulations and activities simulating how the fire department extinguishes a fire. The families were also able to learn tips on what to do before, during and after a storm. I cannot express enough gratitude for our first responders who not only keep our community safe, but go the extra mile to educate and be involved in our community. I am happy our community had the opportunity to become familiar with our Emergency Management personnel and learn about emergency preparedness.
Shred Day
I would like to remind our residents our second Shred Day event is on Saturday, Oct. 21 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Municipal Building. We wanted to give residents who may have missed the first Shred Day Event another opportunity to purge any sensitive information, while also being environmentally responsible. The Shred Day event in April was success and I was happy to meet the many residents who attended. If you have any questions regarding this event, you may check the Washington Township website at www.townshipnj.com and visit the “Events” section.
Joann Gattinelli is the mayor of Washington Township. She can be reached at mayorgattinelli@twp.washington.nj.us.
