Englewood Health Receives National Recognition as Pandemic Hero of the Year by The Leapfrog Group

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Dec 08, 2020, 13:00 ET

ENGLEWOOD, N.J., Dec. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Englewood Health has been awarded the Leapfrog Pandemic Hero of the Year Award by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization of employers and other purchasers focused on healthcare safety and quality. This prestigious national honor recognizes Englewood Health's extraordinary commitment to patient safety and ensuring the health and well-being of their employees throughout the COVID-19 crisis. The winner of this one-time national award was selected by an interdisciplinary committee of Leapfrog leaders and advisors.

"At Englewood Health, we absolutely know what it means to go above and beyond," said Warren Geller, president and CEO of Englewood Health. "Our entire team did not hesitate for one moment to care for the many communities we serve. What I witnessed—not surprisingly—was each and every member of the Englewood Health team stepping up in every way imaginable. They put everything else aside. They saved many lives. And our job as leaders was to support them every step of the way. I thank Leapfrog for recognizing this team and I am confident that we will continue to live up to this recognition in the days and months ahead."

"Our interdisciplinary awards committee had the difficult job of reviewing dozens of excellent nominees from across the country," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "They were most impressed by the people of Englewood Health, who came together in so many ways showing courage and compassion in the face of the COVID-19 crisis. They have inspired us all."

In honoring Englewood Health with the award, the selection committee noted several initiatives acted upon by the health system during the height of the surge, including:

The creation of a physician liaison team, in which surgeons and other physicians who were not caring for COVID-19 patients served as a connection for the patients' families
The launch of telemedicine visits to provide continuity of care
The efforts of the patient and family engagement team to maintain needed human connections and minimize feelings of isolation for patients and families through daily phone calls and the use of virtual technology
Human resources' promotion of its employee assistance program and other means of mental health support for Englewood Health's 5,000 employees and affiliated providers
The establishment of an employee relief fund
Myriad approaches to communicating the importance of social distancing
Partnering with local first responders to prepare for COVID-19 patient arrivals, establish triage protocols, increase understanding of COVID-19, and educate on personal protection
Taking time to celebrate successes, including a vehicle parade of first recognizing frontline workers, as well as playing the song "Don't Stop Believin'" and having staff cheer as each COVID-19 patient was discharged to go home

"Our nurses and multidisciplinary team members demonstrated a commitment to provide the very best care for our patients and our community when we were at the epicenter of the pandemic in New Jersey last spring," said Kathleen Kaminsky, MS, RN, NE-BC, senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Englewood Health. "At Englewood Health, we have a culture of family, and that feeling of being part of something bigger than you is my takeaway on how a healthcare organization can weather a public health crisis of this magnitude. Thank you to Leapfrog's leadership for recognizing our family and our commitment to doing what we do best—caring for our community and about each other."

As part of one of New Jersey's leading hospitals and healthcare networks, Englewood Health's clinical leaders have served as thought leaders in the community and collaborated across health systems to share best practices and continue caring for patients and staff throughout the pandemic. In addition, the patient and family engagement team replaced traditional bedside rounding with virtual daily rounding, conducting daily calls to every admitted patient in the hospital, as well as every family, to provide updates and ensure needs were met.

"By sticking to our guiding principles of caring for our community and caring for one another, we were able to face the pandemic in a way that made our medical staff and team members feel supported and protected," said Alexandra Gottdiener, MD, chief of medicine at Englewood Health. "On behalf of all of the physicians at Englewood Health, I thank Leapfrog for recognizing our team's unwavering commitment to our patients and the community."

About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog's other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.

About Englewood Health
Englewood Health is one of New Jersey's leading hospitals and healthcare networks. Composed of Englewood Hospital, the Englewood Health Physician Network, and the Englewood Health Foundation, the health system delivers nationally recognized care in a community setting to residents of northern New Jersey and beyond. The hospital, founded in 1890, consistently earns high marks for clinical excellence and patient safety. Englewood Hospital is among the 6% of hospitals in the nation to earn the 2019 Top Hospital award from The Leapfrog Group, and also holds the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade 'A.' The hospital is also nationally recognized for nursing excellence, earning a fourth consecutive designation by the Magnet Recognition Program® in 2016. Areas of clinical excellence include cardiac surgery and cardiac care, cancer care, orthopedic surgery, spine surgery, vascular surgery, and women's health, as well as bloodless medicine and surgery. Englewood Health is an affiliate of Hackensack Meridian Health. The hospital offers an internal medicine residency program affiliated with Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University, as well as a vascular surgery fellowship, pharmacy residency program, and a radiography training program. Englewood also serves as a training site for surgery, pathology, emergency medicine, anesthesiology, critical care medicine, and other medical and surgical subspecialties. Englewood Health is continually expanding services and enhancing access through the Englewood Health Physician Network, a coordinated network of nearly 500 office-based and hospital-based providers at more than 100 locations in six counties in New Jersey and New York. Through the main acute-care facility, physician network, hospital outpatient departments offering imaging services in local communities, and a variety of community health and wellness programs, Englewood Health delivers a healthcare experience that puts patients at the center. For additional information, visit www.englewoodhealth.org.

Media Contact:
Office of Communications
Englewood Health
201-894-3499
[email protected]

SOURCE Englewood Health