Women of Means named MA Community Champion

Boston, MA (October 12, 2004) - Citizens Bank of Massachusetts and New England Cable News (NECN) today named Women of Means as this quarter's Community Champion in Massachusetts. As part of the award, Women of Means will receive a $25,000 grant, media coverage and extensive promotional and volunteer support for its outstanding commitment to providing compassionate, quality and free healthcare services to homeless and battered women and their children. Women of Means was chosen as Citizens and NECN's ninth Community Champion for its visionary efforts in helping women receive proper healthcare services at shelters, drop-in centers and safehouses. "Women of Means understands that homeless women's most urgent priorities often mean securing safety, shelter and food for themselves and their children - leaving little opportunities for maintaining proper health," said Robert E. Smyth, President and CEO of Citizens Bank of Massachusetts. "To address this issue, Women of Means comes directly to women and children in need by having clinics stationed at shelters and day programs throughout Greater Boston. Citizens is proud to partner with NECN to recognize and support the admirable work of this Community Champion." "Women of Means' innovative approach to delivering healthcare services to homeless and battered women makes it a true Community Champion," said Philip S. Balboni, President and Founder of NECN. "The nonprofit organization's extensive service in our neighborhoods draws attention to the tremendous need to raise awareness about this issue. We hope the Community Champions program will provide Women of Means with the extensive resources necessary to continue making advancements in healthcare services to women and children in need in our communities." Women of Means is being recognized for:

• Conducting 5,200 patient visits at nine Greater Boston shelters and day programs in 2003 through a team of 15 volunteer clinicians and a nursing staff. Conditions treated include hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, burns, wounds, frostbite and other medical problems associated with inadequate healthcare.

• Providing all services free of charge without billing insurance companies, Medicaid, or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Services often include providing over-the-counter medicines that patients cannot afford.

• Working frequently with primary care physicians who are assigned to each individual through Medicaid to ensure that each patient receives quality healthcare.

• Recruiting volunteer doctors who donate their time for at least one year. The majority of doctors, whose expertise range from adult medicine and cardiology to pediatrics, have often volunteered past the one-year requirement. This continuity has added another benefit to the patients served.

As a Community Champion, Women of Means will receive:

• A $25,000 contribution in unrestricted funds from Citizens Bank

• Media coverage from NECN, including public service announcements, news stories and segments on other NECN programs such as NewsNight and New England Business Day.

• Volunteer support from Citizens and NECN employees.

• Extensive public relations support.

• Promotional support highlighting the Community Champion in all Citizens Bank branches and on its ATMs.

• Exposure on both Citizens Bank and NECN Web sites.

"The Community Champions program is priceless because it provides Women of Means with the financial support to continue our momentum and it gives us a powerful voice to raise awareness about this important issue in our communities," said Dr. Roseanna Means, founder of Women of Means and a practicing physician in Greater Boston. "We look forward to continuing our mission of supporting women and children in need through understanding their needs, speaking their language and providing them with immediate, compassionate healthcare services."

For more information about the Community Champions program, visit www.citizensbank.com or www.necn.com. To learn more about how to contribute to Women of Means, call 781-239-0290 or visit www.womenofmeans.org. Women of Means also accepts over-the-counter donations that homeless individuals cannot afford to buy. To donate medications, please contact the organization for a list of needed medicines.

About Citizens Bank of Massachusetts
Citizens Bank of Massachusetts is a $29.6 billion bank with more than 250 branch offices and 620 ATMs stretching from Greater Boston to Cape Cod and the Berkshires. It is headquartered at 28 State Street in Boston and has regional administration centers in Quincy, Hyannis, Woburn and Wakefield. It has more than 3,800 employees.

Citizens Bank of Massachusetts is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $131 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I. Citizens has more than 1,550 offices, approximately 2,700 ATMs and approximately 24,000 employees in 13 states. It operates in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Citizens is the 12th largest commercial banking company in the United States in asset size and ninth when ranked by deposits. Citizens is owned by The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc.

About New England Cable News
NECN is headquartered in Boston and is the largest regional news network in the country. Founded in March of 1992, the station is a partnership between The Hearst Corporation and AT&T Broadband, and serves 3.1 million cable subscribers in 993 communities throughout New England. NECN has been honored with some of the most important awards for excellence in television journalism including the George Foster Peabody Award, the Alfred I. duPont - Columbia University Broadcast Journalism Award, and the Scripps Howard Foundation Award. NECN’s all streaming video Web site can be found at www.necn.com.