Hackensack Meridian Health Celebrates National Approval of Cancer Center, Carrier Clinic partnership and Successful Medical School at Third Annual Meeting

EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J., May 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert C. Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey's largest and most comprehensive health network, detailed the network's exceptional achievements in innovation, research, medical education and behavioral health care at Hackensack Meridian Health's third annual board meeting attended by nearly 1,000 trustees, physicians, team members and elected officials.

"We are living our mission to transform health care in New Jersey and beyond,'' Mr. Garrett told the audience at the Park Chateau in East Brunswick.

Major highlights from the speech include updates on many developments at the network including:

• The National Cancer Institute's approval of John Theurer Cancer Center as part of a member of the NCI-designated Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of just 16 such collaborations in the US.
• The merger with Carrier Clinic to expand access to care through the opening of new addiction treatment centers and New Jersey's first behavioral health urgent care center.
• The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University's receiving nearly 5,000 applications for its second class of 90 students.

Pat Battle, an Emmy-award winning journalist and anchor at NBC4, moderated a panel that included Mr. Garrett and other network officials including: David Reis, Ph.D, chief information officer, Lori Sammartino, a nurse manager at JFK Medical Center and Dr. Bonita Stanton, founding dean of the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University.

The school of medicine is transforming medical education in three major ways: offering a 3-year path to residency; providing interdisciplinary learning and a community immersion program which pairs students with patients in underserved communities so they have a greater understanding of the social determinants of health.

"We will humanize health care,'' Mr. Garrett said. "We will create a physician workforce ready to thrive in a new state of health care.''

Hackensack Meridian Health is also a national leader in innovation and supports a $25 million fund to encourage the next breakthroughs in care delivery. The program, known as the Bear's Den, has provided funding for two major developments: Pillo, a home health robot that automatically dispenses medication, and PurpleSun, which uses ultraviolet light in a 90-second cycle to kill germs to reduce the potential for hospital-acquired infections.

"We are not satisfied with the status quo,'' Mr. Garrett said. "We are committed to providing the most cutting-edge care, the best patient experience and affordable, convenient, health care.''

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care.

Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 17 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children's hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in Neptune; nine community hospitals - Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, and Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood; and two rehabilitation hospitals - JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in Brick; and a behavioral health hospital, Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead.

Additionally, the network has more than 500 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has 33,000 team members, and 6,500 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

The network's notable distinctions include having four hospitals among the top 10 in New Jersey by U.S. News and World Report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and Top 150 Places to Work in Healthcare/2018 by Becker's Healthcare. 

Hackensack Meridian Health partnered with Seton Hall University to launch the only private medical school in New Jersey – Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University.  Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it.

Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies.

For additional information, please visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org.

SOURCE Hackensack Meridian Health

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https://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org