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NOTE TO MEDIA: Reporters are invited to attend and cover the 2008 MS Connecticut Citizen of the Year Gala Saturday, May 31, at Mohegan Sun. RSVP is required. To confirm attendance and secure media pass, please contact Karen E. Butler, Vice President of Communications, at 860.997.4487.

Saint Francis Hospital And Medical Center CEO Named MS Connecticut Citizen Of The Year

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Christopher M. Dadlez, president and CEO of Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, has been named MS Connecticut Citizen of the Year for his exceptional work in the community.

Chris Dadlez, Citizen of the Year
Dadlez will receive the award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter at the 2008 MS Connecticut Citizen of the Year Gala, Saturday, May 31, at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.

“We are honored to bestow one of our highest awards to Christopher Dadlez, a very deserving recipient,” said Lisa Gerrol, president and chief professional office for the Connecticut Chapter. “Christopher exemplifies extraordinary leadership and outstanding civic service in the community, and has been a dedicated partner in the fight against multiple sclerosis.”

More than 6,000 Connecticut residents live with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic and often disabling disease of the central nervous system. There currently is no cure. Symptoms can include, among other things, numbness in the limbs, difficulties with vision and speech, stiffness and, in some more severe cases, total paralysis. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted.

Funds raised through events such as the MS Gala allow the Connecticut Chapter to provide vital programs and services to those affected by multiple sclerosis. Funds also support groundbreaking research to find better treatments and a cure.

Dadlez joined Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in October 2004, as president and chief executive officer. Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital, a Saint Francis Care Provider, recently established the Joyce and Andy Mandell Center for Multiple Sclerosis Services and Research at Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital. This multiple sclerosis research and services center offers a coordinated approach to comprehensive care not previously available in this region, significantly increasing the quality of care and benefiting patients with this chronic disease.

In August 2007 Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell appointed Dadlez — a Simsbury, Conn., resident — to her Governor’s Hospital System Strategic Task Force. Dadlez’ other community involvements include serving on the Governor’s Council on Economic Competitiveness and Technology. He is a board member of MetroHartford Alliance, chairing its Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Dadlez currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Connecticut Hospital Association.

Dadlez earned his bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of New Hampshire and his master’s degree in hospital administration at the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University.

He lives with his wife, Eileen, in Simsbury and has a daughter, Nina, who attends the University of Connecticut School of Medicine; and a son, Gregory, who is a college junior at Penn State University.

Prior to coming to Hartford, Dadlez served as president and chief executive officer of Mercy Medical Center, a 476-bed facility located in Canton, Ohio. Under his leadership, Mercy achieved Solucient Top 100 Hospital status, as well as Top 100 Cardiovascular Services, and a Top 50 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospital for Cardiovascular Services.

For more about programs and services offered by the Connecticut Chapter, or to make a donation, please visit http://www.ctfightsms.org/ or call 1.800.FIGHT MS.

 

About Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center: Licensed for 617 beds, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center is one of the largest academic medical centers in Connecticut affiliated with the University of Connecticut Medical School, and is the largest Catholic hospital in New England. A regional referral center, Saint Francis provides sophisticated, contemporary medicine with major clinical concentrations in cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, women’s services and rehabilitation. Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center is one of the most honored hospitals in New England for quality and patient safety by such prestigious organizations as Solucient, HealthGrades, CareScience and Leapfrog. For more information about Saint Francis, please call 860-714-4000.

NOTE TO MEDIA
For More Information
Contact Karen Butler
Vice President of Communications
Phone: 860.714.2300, ext. 230
kbutler@ctfightsMS.org

 

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