HARRISBURG, July 31, 2007 - State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione has been named to the board of trustees of the Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, where she has been a patient for nearly four years.

            Tartaglione, who was injured in a boating accident in 2003, said the experience has put her in a unique position to serve on the board.

            “It’s an honor to be appointed,” she said. “I believe my experience as lawmaker and as a rehabilitation patient have given me insight and practical knowledge.”

            Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, a founding member of the Jefferson Health System, opened in 1958 as the Philadelphia region's original provider of physical and cognitive rehabilitation. It has been ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the nation’s top rehabilitation hospitals and is one of 14 federally designated spinal cord injury systems of care.

            In 1994, Senator Tartaglione became only the fifth woman in state history to win election to the State Senate. During her four terms in office, she has served as Democratic Chair of the Aging and Youth Committee and is currently Democratic Chair of the Labor and Industry Committee.

            After her accident, she has been to regular therapy sessions at Magee and last year walked to her seat in the Senate.

“It has been a difficult and painful but often rewarding experience,” Tartaglione said. “And I believe that I can use that experience to help others and to serve the

staff at Magee.”