South Nassau Communities Hospital is pleased to announce that Mark Head, Vice President of External Affairs, has been selected by Long Island Business News (LIBN) to the 50 or so around 50 Class of 2011. Honorees will be recognized at an awards dinner that will take place at the Crest Hollow Country on Thursday, October 20. In its second year, the LIBN 50 or so around 50 awards program recognizes dynamic professional men and women who are dedicated to the success of companies and organizations on Long Island, as well as to the well-being of the local communities throughout Nassau and Suffolk. Awardees are selected by a panel of business and community leaders based on the nominee's business acumen and community involvement. As Vice President of External Affairs, Head oversees all traditional and web marketing, public relations, publications and community relations for South Nassau Communities Hospital. Thanks in part to his marketing expertise and ardent advocacy efforts, South Nassau enjoyed a banner year in 2010, increasing its admissions by almost 1,000 patients. Head is also actively involved with a number of hospital committees, including Patient Experience, Master Facilities and Orthopedic Steering. Committed to the well-being of others, Head is also involved with South Nassau's SIBSPlace program - a free community service for children living with a sibling or parent who has cancer or another devastating illness. He recently volunteered many hours of his time providing direction regarding the artwork, grammar and cover design of a book published by SIBSPlace entitled, Staying Afloat: A Support Guide to Help Parents and Well Siblings Cope with Family Illness. He also gives generously to a number of human aid organizations, including Island Harvest and the Long Island GLBT Center. South Nassau Communities Hospital is one of the region's largest hospitals, with 435 beds, more than 900 physicians and 2,900 employees. Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services. In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau provides emergency and elective angioplasty and is the only hospital on Long Island with the Novalis Tx „¢ and Gamma Knife ® radiosurgery technologies. South Nassau is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons and is recognized as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. For more information, visit www.southnassau.org.