For Immediate Release

Contact: Anthony Twyman
Public Relations Coordinator
Community College of Philadelphia
Office: (215) 751-8082
atwyman@ccp.edu

COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION SHOWCASES COLLEGE SERVICES FOR BUSINESS WITH NEW MAGAZINE

PHILADELPHIA, April 9, 2007 – In its continuing effort to support area businesses through education, the Community College of Philadelphia Foundation and the College will officially launch Pathways, a new magazine for the Philadelphia business community, at a breakfast at 8 a.m., Thursday, April 12.

The breakfast and unveiling of the new publication will be held in Room C2-5 at the College’s Center for Business and Industry, 18th and Callowhill streets. The breakfast will feature guest speakers H. Ray Welch, president and chief executive officer of Mercy Health System, and Michael A. Rashid, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Keystone Mercy Health Plan. They will speak on the “New Cooperative Spirit in Health Care.”

Welch and Rashid are featured in the cover story that appears in the first issue of Pathways. The inaugural issue is devoted to the subject of Community College of Philadelphia’s influence in local health care and other industries. In the article, Welch and Rashid talk about the impact of rising health care costs on health care providers and employers in the region.

“Pathways is a quarterly publication that is intended to show how the College is positively affecting Philadelphia businesses and our city’s economy,” President Curtis said. Also featured in Pathways are stories highlighting student, faculty and alumni achievements.

Community College of Philadelphia’s graduates consistently have had higher pass rates in Allied Health certification exams than the national average, particularly in the fields of dental hygiene, diagnostic medical imaging, medical assisting office management and respiratory care technology.

Between 1994 and 2003, Community College of Philadelphia graduates filled one out of every six jobs in the Philadelphia area for respiratory therapist and one out of every six jobs for radiological technologist.

The Foundation, a private fundraising arm of Community College of Philadelphia, provides external resources that support the mission and values of the College. It offers students a variety of scholarships and provides grants to faculty members for innovative programs that enhance and enrich students’ educational experiences.

Welch oversees Mercy Health System, which is a Conshohocken-based health care provider with nearly 5,000 employees in the city and suburbs and includes four acute-care hospitals, a continuing care medical center, a home health care organization, several wellness centers, physician practices, a skilled nursing facility, an independent living facility and managed care plans. Mercy Health System is also a partner in the Keystone Mercy Health, AmeriHealth and Gateway Health plans, which provide services to Medicaid recipients.

Rashid oversees operations at Keystone Mercy Health Plan, which is based in Philadelphia and is the largest medical assistance, managed care organization in Southeastern Pennsylvania, serving more than 273,000 people. Keystone Mercy’s sister organizations include AmeriHealth Mercy Health Plan in Harrisburg, PA; Passport Health Plan in Kentucky; Select Health in South Carolina; and PerformRX, the pharmacy benefit management division from AmeriHealth Mercy.