Celebrating Our Presidents this President's Day

On Monday, February 20 we celebrate President’s Day, a day honoring all 44 presidents of the United States.

George Washington, whose troops battled to secure our country’s independence, served as our nation’s first President from 1789 to 1797. He was acutely aware of the role his newly formed government would play in establishing the young democracy’s foundations.

As Washington once wrote to James Madison,

“As the first of every thing, in our situation will serve to establish a Precedent, it is devoutly wished on my part, that these precedents may be fixed on true principles.”

Meet Mary Ann Boccolini

Samaritan President Mary Ann Boccolini

Samaritan President Mary Ann Boccolini leads an “army” of dedicated professionals who help patients and families across a 2,200 square-mile territory battle against the pain, symptoms and stresses of serious illness.

As the first hospice, founded in 1980, to bring the concept of hospice care to South Jersey, Samaritan has set the bar — and precedents — high for quality comfort care, dignity, quality of life and support during and after illness. President Boccolini maintains and builds on these precedents staying true to our founders’ principles — that no eligible person be turned away — even as she has overseen the introduction, development and dramatic growth of a diverse family of life-affirming services.

These programs and services, in addition to Samaritan’s core hospice care, include:

• SeniorWise Care Management
• Palliative Medical Partners
• Hospice Programs for Jewish and Catholic Patients
• Hospice Program for Veterans
• 12-bed Inpatient Hospice Center at Virtua Memorial in Mt. Holly
• Institute for Education

“Human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.” – George Washington

A Lifetime of Dedication to Patients and Families

President Boccolini has dedicated a lifetime to helping patients receive quality end-of-life care.

As a high school sophomore, Boccolini and her family coped with the physical, emotional and spiritual stress of caring for her mother, diagnosed with colon cancer before the modern advent of hospice care. As hospice care became more widespread in the healthcare industry, she chose to dedicate her professional career to the advancement of the field, first becoming a nurse and then studying human services administration.

Prior to joining Samaritan, Boccolini was the Director of Oncology Services at Virtua Memorial Hospital-Burlington County and also worked for the Veterans Administration Hospital in Pennsylvania, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the National Institute of Health in Maryland and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. With firsthand knowledge of how end-of-life issues and care affect patients and their families, Boccolini has brought both passion and compassion to Samaritan , as its president and CEO since 2001.

With both personal and professional knowledge of how end-of-life issues affect patients and their families, President Boccolini brings  passion and compassion to Samaritan. Named one of the 50 Most Powerful People in New Jersey Healthcare in 2010, she is an impactful CEO making a difference in our community.

So, on this Presidents Day, let us appreciate and honor the achievements of those who served as Commanders in Chief of our nation, while also tipping our hats to those, like Mary Ann Boccolini, who lead and serve their communities at the helm of organizations whose mission is to improve how we live!

Please contact Samaritan at (800) 229-8183 if you think your loved one can benefit from our programs and services. Samaritan is a not-for-profit, non-sectarian organization serving people in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer counties who are coping with elder care issues, serious illness or grief.

More about Mary Ann Boccolini:

Philadelphia Business Journal Women of Distinction 2011
Mary Ann’s Thanksgiving 2011 Message
SJ Magazine – People to Watch 2011
South Jersey Magazine Super Woman 2010
50 Most Powerful People in Healthcare 2010
Listen to Mary Ann Boccolini on Executive Leaders Radio on March 28, 2008

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