NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — The Pink Glove Dance has spread to Southcoast™ Health System — and we are asking for your vote!

More than 300 Southcoast employees are starring in their own “Pink Glove Dance” video to help spread the word about breast cancer awareness and prevention. The video was submitted to a national competition to determine the best “Pink Glove Dance” video of 2012.

“Once we saw the original video and all the ones from last year’s competition, we immediately wanted to get involved to help make a difference at our facility, in our community and even around the country,” said David Teixeira, Director of Interventional Cardiology for Southcoast Health System and co-captain of the video.

“Our employees were so excited and inspired to be part of our own Pink Glove Dance,” said Debra A. Desmarais, Executive Director of Radiology Imaging Services for Southcoast Health System and co-captain of the video. “Making the video brought the whole staff together from departments across the system. We had a really good time. It was a lot of fun for a really great cause.”

How to Vote for Southcoast

As part of the Pink Glove Dance 2012 competition, the public is invited to cast their votes for Southcoast’s video by visiting www.southcoast.org/pinkglovedance. Click on the “Vote Now” button. Scroll down to the “Southcoast Health” video in row 5, right column. Click on “Vote” underneath the video to cast your vote. After you vote, please share the like with your friends, family and colleges to help spread the word.

Voting requires a Facebook® account. Voting is open from October 12 through November 2, so time is limited. Share you vote with friends and family and encourage them to vote as well.

The top three winners receive a donation in their name to the breast cancer charity of their choice. Southcoast will donate its winnings to The FLY Foundation of Fall River, which provides a “Financial Lift for Young Adults with Cancer.”

The winners will be announced November 9 on www.pinkglovedance.com.

“Southcoast’s “Pink Glove Dance” video is centered on the journey our oncology patients go through — and the great care and compassion they receive from the entire Southcoast team,” Desmarais said.

“Parts of the video were filmed at each of our three hospitals — Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham — and the Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care site in Fairhaven,” explained Teixeira.

Employees in pink gloves danced on the helipad at Charlton and by the parking garage at St. Luke’s, each time forming the shape of the pink ribbon used to symbolize the fight against breast cancer.

The video was conceived and produced by Southcoast employees with the assistance of two local businesses. The video was choreographed by Loralee Levesque of Loralee’s Dance Studio in Swansea and filming and editing was done by Franchise Studios of Dartmouth.

The annual competition is sponsored by Medline Industries Inc., manufacturer of the gloves and producer of the original Pink Glove Dance video.

The history of the Pink Glove Dance

The original Pink Glove Dance video premiered in November 2009 and featured 200 Portland, Ore., hospital workers wearing pink gloves and dancing in support of breast cancer awareness and prevention. Today, the video has more than 13.5 million views on YouTube® and has inspired hundreds of pink glove dance videos and breast cancer awareness events across the country.