Newswise — NEPTUNE, NJ – March 22, 2013 – Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s 16th Annual Sweetheart Ball, held on Saturday, February 23, 2013 at Ocean Place Resort & Spa in Long Branch, NJ attracted more than 400 attendees and raised over a quarter million dollars in support of Jersey Shore’s cancer care expansion.

As part of Meridian Cancer Care, Jersey Shore will benefit from funds raised at the Sweetheart Ball. Proceeds from the event will support Jersey Shore’s inpatient oncology unit expansion on the 4th floor of the hospital’s Northwest Pavilion, which will include state-of-the-art medical and surgical oncology services; spacious, private patient rooms; consultation rooms with new technology; and dedicated rooms for palliative and end-of-life care. The 16th Annual Sweetheart Ball, chaired by Ann Nahum & Ken Nahum, M.D. and Phil & Marilyn Perricone, honored New Jersey Natural Gas with the William C. Black Award of Hope for its generous and steadfast support of Jersey Shore. The award, named after the late Mr. William Black, is presented annually to individuals or organizations committed to Jersey Shore’s goal of providing the best health care experience, close to home. Mr. Black previously served on the Meridian Board of Trustees, as well as Jersey Shore’s Board of Governors.

For more information, please call Jackie Lang at 732-751-5101, or e-mail [email protected].

About Jersey Shore University Medical Center:Jersey Shore University Medical Center, a member of the Meridian Health family, is a not-for-profit teaching hospital and home to K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital – the first children’s hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Jersey Shore is the regional provider of cardiac surgery, a program which has been ranked among the best in the Northeast, and is home to the only trauma center and stroke rescue center in the region. Jersey Shore University Medical Center specializes in cardiovascular care, orthopedics and rehabilitation, cancer care, neuroscience, and women’s specialty services. For more information on Jersey Shore University Medical Center call 1-800-DOCTORS, or visit www.JerseyShoreUniversityMedicalCenter.com.