The Mercury (Pottstown, PA)

Reading Hospital celebrates physicians on Doctors’ Day

- By Dr. Charles F. Barbera Dr. Charles F. Barbera is president and CEO of Reading Hospital.

Hospitals are a cornerston­e in any community, and Reading Hospital is no exception. We provide lifesaving treatments and vital services to best support the complex and special health needs of our neighbors, families and all who live in our community.

This essential care would not be possible if not for those who have chosen to dedicate their lives to healing communitie­s across the nation and right here in Berks County, our physicians.

Reading Hospital is grateful for our physicians who work alongside patients each and every day helping to cure and prevent disease, heal the sick or injured, bring new life into the world, respond to medical emergencie­s, save lives and so much more.

This Doctors’ Day, celebrated every March 30, it is truly an honor and a privilege to recognize our physicians who have chosen to bring their clinical expertise and compassion to Reading Hospital.

From the many letters I receive in the mail to conversati­ons had with community members, I regularly receive compliment­s regarding the care that our physicians provide. Throughout the year, patients and their family members share their experience­s at the hospital, and there is always a common thread: Reading Hospital doctors are compassion­ate and take time to listen to each patient in order to provide personaliz­ed, attentive care.

As a testament to the level of care our physicians provide, Reading Hospital was recently recognized by Healthgrad­es as being in the top 1% of hospitals nationwide for overall clinical performanc­e.

Additional­ly, our hospital and its physicians were recognized for additional achievemen­ts, including America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Stroke Care Award, the Joint Replacemen­t Excellence Award, the Neuroscien­ce Excellence Award and the Stroke Care Excellence Award. These prestigiou­s recognitio­ns are thanks to the quality of care our doctors provide to our community alongside their colleagues across the hospital.

One does not need to come to Reading Hospital to see the impact our physicians have on our community. In fact, many of our doctors meet our most vulnerable patients outside of the hospital through our Street Medicine Program.

In 2023, physicians volunteere­d nearly 1,000 hours to bring necessary medical care to the unsheltere­d, shelter residents or those who are at risk of experienci­ng homelessne­ss. Additional­ly, many of our physicians live in Berks County and contribute to the health and wellness of their community and surroundin­g neighborho­od through board membership­s and volunteeri­ng at our partner not-for-profit organizati­ons in Berks County.

In everything they do, our doctors have the health of our patients and community in mind. They regularly collaborat­e with the Reading Hospital Foundation to ensure that our patients receive only the highest levels of care by continuing to refine and enhance medical services in and out of the hospital.

Our physicians have partnered with the Foundation to deliver the Reading Hospital Mobile Mammograph­y Coach, which travels throughout Berks County to bring lifesaving breast cancer screenings to women, and are working to raise $2.1 million for a new, state-of-the-art cardiac catheteriz­ation laboratory. Our hospital performs 2,500 cardiac procedures annually, and a new lab would allow our clinicians to work even more efficientl­y and reduce preparatio­n and procedure times. In turn, this will allow more patients to be diagnosed and treated each day.

We are grateful for these compassion­ate, dedicated and highly skilled profession­als in our hospital and communitie­s.

Doctors’ Day is an opportunit­y to thank our medical staff and a reminder of the hard work they do day in and day out. Through the Reading Hospital Foundation, grateful patients, family members, and colleagues, are able to make a gift in the name of a physician by visiting https://towerhealt­h.org/doctors-day.

To our talented and kindhearte­d physicians, thank you for everything you do to help keep our patients and surroundin­g communitie­s healthy. You exemplify excellence in healthcare, spreading your wings of compassion to uplift our communitie­s, bring comfort, and inspire hope and healing in our patients and their families each day.

 ?? COURTESY OF TOWER HEALTH ?? Dr. Charles F. Barbera
COURTESY OF TOWER HEALTH Dr. Charles F. Barbera

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