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www.libertyhealth.org
Creating a Vision for Hudson County Healthcare
Jersey City Medical Center
www.libertyhealth.org
#1 Overall NJ Hospitalaccording to Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.’s recent survey of New Jersey physicians for Hospitals with “fewer than 350 beds.”
AetnaAmeriChoiceAmeriGroupAmeriHealthAnthem Health Insurance Co. of NYBeechStreet Corp. / MediChoiceCignaConsumer Health NetworkDevon HealthFamily ChoiceFirst MCO
Focus HealthcareGalaxy Health NetworkGreat-West HealthHCO Networks, Inc.Health Care Payers Coalition of NJHealthfirst NJHealthnetHealth Payors Organization, Ltd.Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJHorizon BCBS
Horizon NJ HealthIntergroup ServicesMagellan HealthMagnaCareMultiPlanNational Provider NetworkNJ ManufacturersOxford Health PlansPHCS - Private Healthcare SystemsPPO NextQualcareUnited Healthcare
University Health PlansUSA Managed Care OrganizationWellChoice (Empire Health Care)
WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED!Jersey City Medical Center accepts over 30 insurance plans, including:
Enhancing Life Through Nationally Recognized CareA Primary Teaching Affiliate of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and your Quality Regional Healthcare Provider
The only hospital in Hudson, Essex, and Union counties to be recognized with the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence!*Rated #1 Overall NJ Hospital (fewer than 350 beds) by the Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.’s Survey of NJ Doctors.
www.libertyhealth.org
It’s been a remarkable time for the Jersey City Medical Center. We were named by
Castle Connolly and Inside New Jersey Magazine as the top hospital (under 350 beds)
in New Jersey. We opened the Cristie Kerr Women’s Health Center. The Center is the
first of its kind in Hudson County, providing state of the art digital mammography and
complete breast cancer services under one roof. Our new Comprehensive Spine Center
and our Balance, Stroke, Prostate Cancer, Epilepsy and GI centers complete the host
of clinical services designed to provide the high quality care that every Hudson County
resident deserves. We added more than 200 new doctors to our medical staff, and
more of our doctors made the annual “Best Doctors” list than ever before. Financially,
we’ve made great strides, reducing our dependency on extraordinary state support.
This is particularly notable in light of shrinking state subsidies and the financial difficulties
that many hospitals in New Jersey, and around the country, are facing.
Much of the impetus for the hospital’s achievements began in January 2008, when we developed a strategic growth plan and
a two-word mission statement: Enhancing Life. These two words demonstrate the hospital’s commitment to provide excellent
medical treatment and preventive and educational services. At the same time, we also announced the four pillars we have since
incorporated into all facets of our operation: Patient Safety, Satisfaction, Clinical Quality, and Economic Health. Our staff and our
physicians have embraced our mission and, supported by their efforts, we have achieved many of our goals.
In conjunction with our new mission, we have made great strides in many areas. We received the Magnet Award, nursing’s
highest honor, which recognizes the top 6% of all hospitals in the United States. Our Trauma Services were recognized and
re-accredited with the highest rating.
Successful innovation is a hallmark of Jersey City Medical Center’s EMS and paramedic services, which received the 2010
NJBiz “Innovation Hero” Award. Awards are appreciated, but most important is our ability to make a difference in the lives of
our patients. For example, we have dramatically improved our ambulance response time, and now have one of the nation’s best
response times for urban hospitals. In addition, our EMS is the only triple-accredited EMS service in the nation.
Jersey City Medical Center has spearheaded a number of community initiatives, including the formation of a community
outreach committee, Enhancing Community Health Education through Outreach (ECHO). We have also conducted numerous
health fairs, screenings, and a popular monthly community evening education series called “Dinner with the Doctor.”
Within these pages you can review some of our accomplishments and services. We not resting on our laurels - our goal is
to continually improve our services and thus expand our vision for the future. Many thanks to our great physicians, staff, and
volunteers who work everyday to achieve our mission of Enhancing Life.
Joseph F. Scott, FACHE
President/Chief Executive Officer
LibertyHealth
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Mayor Healy recognizes the nurses at Jersey City Medical
Center for their service to the community.
To the employees, medical staff and Board of Trustees at Jersey City Medical Center, there had been a growing belief for some time that the hospital was on its way to becoming one of the leading acute care facilities in the state.
This feeling was confirmed in March 2010 when the hospital was selected by physicians throughout the state as the top hospital in New Jersey (under 350 beds).
Inside New Jersey magazine and Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., one of the nation’s most respected health care research and information companies, announced the hospital ranking and explained the process where licensed physicians were asked to name the top hospitals in the state for various medical conditions, as well as overall care. Specifically, they were asked to vote for the five leading hospitals among the state’s 73 acute care facilities for treatment of the following conditions: breast cancer, prostate cancer, pediatric cancers, coronary artery bypass surgery, hip and knee replacement, congestive heart failure, stroke, high risk pregnancy and birth, and neurological disorders.
Additionally, through IPRO (Improving Healthcare for the Common Good), post-discharge ratings of New Jersey hospitals were determined by having patients rate the hospitals overall, as well as on how often doctors and nurses communicate well with patients, and the cleanliness of patient rooms and bathrooms.
In addition to being named top hospital, the Medical Center was also recognized first for stroke care, high-risk pregnancy and neurological disorders; second for treatment of pediatric cancers, congestive heart failure and coronary bypass; and
third for prostate cancer. It was also named by physicians as one of the top 10 hospitals in every other category.
Joe Scott, who came to LibertyHealth in 2008 as its top administrator, has placed an emphasis with physicians and staff on the four pillars – patient safety, clinical quality, patient satisfaction and economic health. Signs of the effectiveness of this focus have been evident in terms of a significant increase in patient census, the attraction of many highly trained physicians, and enhanced profitability.
“We are finding that the best-trained physicians from not only Hudson County but throughout northern New Jersey and New York City are now looking to bring their patients to Jersey City Medical Center,” says Dr. Kenneth Garay, the hospital’s Chief Medical Officer. “During the past two years, over 200 physicians in primary care and various specialties have joined the staff.”
The hospital has also added new centers of excellence in such areas as stroke, epilepsy, GI and prostate cancer, new outpatient rehab and balance centers, and the Cristie Kerr Women’s Health Center.
A state-designated trauma center and a major teaching affiliate of Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, Jersey City Medical Center has also been successful in making itself less dependent on the shrinking state charity care dollar.
“We’re enormously proud of this recognition and the trust put in our hospital by physicians and patients,” says Scott.
Last year, the hospital was recognized for national nursing care with the Magnet Award, making it the only hospital in Hudson, Union and Essex counties to receive this designation.
Physicians Name Jersey City Medical Center
Best Hospital in New Jersey
LibertyHealth values its dedicated and tenured employees. Many events are held to recognize our employees, including an annual employee recognition dinner.
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Conveniently located at the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail’s Jersey Avenue Station – Jersey City Medical Center is the leading quality
healthcare provider for the entire region. Our state-of-the-art facilities include a state-designated Regional Trauma Center and
the Regional Perinatal Center for Diagnosis and Treatment. Recently recognized as the only hospital in Hudson, Essex, and
Union counties with the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence – Jersey City Medical Center is here to meet all of
your healthcare needs, with 330 beds and a full range of services available.
www.libertyhealth.org
Jersey City Medical Center 355 Grand Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 (201) 915-2000
Nationally Recognized Quality is just a Light Rail trip away!
HOBOKEN
BAYONNE
Enhancing Life Through Nationally Recognized Care
A Primary Teaching Affiliate of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and your Quality Regional Healthcare ProviderThe only hospital in Hudson, Essex, and Union counties to be recognized with the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence!
*Rated #1 Overall NJ Hospital (fewer than 350 beds) by the Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.’s Survey of NJ Doctors.
Enhancing Life…Through Award-Winning Care
Congratulations to the following LibertyHealth Physicians who have been recognized by their peers in their chosen specialty:
We would like to thank the doctors throughout New Jersey who recommended our Physicians for this honor.
In addition, many of our dedicated Physicians have also been recognized as:
2010 NJ Best Doctorsby Castle Connolly Ltd.’s recent survey of New Jersey Physicians.
• Wayne Altman, MD – Orthopaedic Surgery
• Gregory Anselmi, MD – Neurology
• Yatinder Bains, MD – Gastroenterology
• Azzam Baker, MD – Pediatrics
• Manuel Banzon, MD – Obstetrics & Gynecology
• Mitchell Brown, MD – Internal Medicine
• Jenny Cam, MD – Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism
• Gary Cardiello, MD – Internal Medicine
• Maryann Colenda, MD – Pediatric Allergy & Immunology
• Dominick Condo, MD – Internal Medicine
• William Constad, MD – Ophthalmology
• John Dedousis, MD – Internal Medicine
• Julia DiGioia, MD – Breast Surgery
• Mazhar Elamir, MD – Pulmonary Diseases
• Arno Fried, MD – Neurosurgery
• Kenneth Garay, MD – ENT
• Glen Gejerman, MD – Radiation Oncology
• MarieAnne Giardina-Beckett, MD – Dermatology
• Michael Grasso, MD – Nephrology
• John Hahn, MD – Gastroenterology
• Robert Heary, MD – Neurosurgery
• Herbert Katz, MD – Urology
• Martin Levine, DO – Family Practice
• Lalitha Masson, MD – Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Kirk McMurtry, MD – Cardiac Surgery
• Ghias Moussa, MD – Cardiology
• Mitchell Mutterperl, MD – Internal Medicine
• Donald Perlman, MD – Allergy and Immunology
• Jeffrey Politsky, MD – Neurology
• Joseph Popovich, MD – Surgery
• Anaka Prakash, MD – Gastroenterology
• David Principe, MD – Maternal-Fetal Medicine
• Rick Pumill, MD – Cardiovascular Disease
• Michelle Reisner, MD – Geriatric Medicine
• Hooshang Sadeghi, MD – Neurology
• Yale Shulman, MD – Urology
• Floyd Tanzer, MD – Dermatology
• Stephen Thomsen, MD – Nephrology
• Vena Uy, MD – Obstetrics and Gynecology
•2010 “#1 Overall NJ Hospital” (with fewer than 350 beds)* Jersey City Medical Center
•Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence Jersey City Medical Center
•Joint Commission Gold Standard Jersey City Medical Center
•NJBIZ’s 2010 Innovation Organization Hero Jersey City Medical Center EMS
•Independent Recognition and Certification from CAAS Jersey City Medical Center EMS
•ACR Accredited Facility Jersey City Medical Center
www.libertyhealth.org
Jersey City Medical Center is a Primary Teaching Affiliate of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and your Quality Regional Healthcare Provider
*By the Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.’s Survey of NJ Doctors
®
Cristie Kerr Women’s Health Center Opens
Both the Cristie Kerr Women’s Health Center and the new outpatient Radiology Center have opened their doors on the Jersey City Medical Center campus (377 Jersey Avenue at Grand, Skinner Memorial Drive in Jersey City).
Named after the world’s number one women’s golfer (according to 2010 rankings), the Cristie Kerr Women’s Health Center offers breast cancer screening programs including mammograms and education to women with or without insurance. The official ribbon cutting was held September 15, with many dignitaries in attendance.
Equipped with state-of-the-art digital mammography equipment, the Cristie Kerr Women’s Health Center marks the first full-service facility in the Hudson County area providing detection, healing, support and recovery services.
“I am truly proud to be a part of something that so many women and their families will benefit from in the years to come,” says Cristie Kerr. “I am proud to be collaborating with LibertyHealth, which already plays such a crucial role in the Hudson County community, to accomplish our shared aspirations.”
According to Joseph F. Scott, President and Chief Executive Officer of LibertyHealth, “We are very excited about the partnership we have formed with Cristie Kerr in the development of the area’s leading breast cancer facility. This
center furthers our mission of ‘enhancing life’ for those who live and work throughout Hudson County and northern New Jersey.”
Cristie Kerr is a passionate breast cancer activist, having witnessed her mother, aunt and godmother battle the disease. In 2004, she founded the non-profit organization Birdies for Breast Cancer with a mission to raise funds and awareness.
The Radiology Department at Jersey City Medical Center was recently awarded a three-year term of accreditation from the American College of Radiology (ACR). The ACR peer-reviewed evaluation recognized Jersey City Medical Center for its outstanding commitment to high quality patient care in its radiology department in the field of Magnet Resonance Imaging (MRI).
Patients for either the Cristie Kerr Women’s Health Center or Radiology Department can call a centralized, toll free scheduling number to make appointments at 877-393-5374.
Jersey City Medical Center Becomes Smoke-FreeJersey City Medical Center has officially become a “smoke free,” 100% tobacco free campus.
To encourage and support its employees to think and live healthy, the hospital has instituted the policy as part of its overall wellness campaign.
“We want to take care of the people who take care of our patients,” says Mary Cataudella, Vice President, Human Resources. “It begins with providing strategies to employees who smoke to help them stop smoking.”
Joe Scott, President/CEO at LibertyHealth; designer Thom Filicia; County Executive Tom DeGise; Cristie Kerr and County Clerk Barbara Netchert pose during ribbon cutting ceremony at the Cristie Kerr Women’s Health Center.
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The Balance Center Offers Testing, Treatment
The Balance Center at Jersey City Medical Center opened this spring, providing state-of-the-art diagnostic testing and treatment to patients with a range of different medical conditions that cause balance problems.
Balance problems can occur for any one of a number of different reasons, including head injury, stroke, orthopedic injuries, osteoarthritis, neurological problems, viral or bacterial infection, visual deficits, conditions that result in problems with blood supply to the inner ear, or adverse reactions to medication.
The new center is the first of its kind in Hudson County.
“When you consider that more than 11 million physician visits involve a complaint of imbalance or dizziness and one in every three senior citizens experiences a fall every year, the opening of a center dedicated to diagnosing and treating balance problems in this area is long overdue,” says Joseph F. Scott, President and CEO of LibertyHealth.
Balance disorders are one of the most common causes of injury and hospitalization in America, especially among the elderly with falls being the leading cause of accidental death and hospital admissions for people over 65.
The Balance Center uses a series of sophisticated and painless tests, most taking no more than an hour, to diagnose the reasons for dizziness and/or falls. Testing is recommended for those who have experienced any of the following:
• difficulty getting up from a chair or out of bed
• numbness or loss of sensation in your legs
• loss of balance or unsteadiness when walking or standing still
• feeling dizzy or light-headed
• needing to lean on something when walking
• dizziness when turning over in bed
• dizziness when watching a moving object
People should not take for granted that any of these symptoms are a natural part of getting older,” says Dr. Kenneth Garay, Chief Medical Officer, LibertyHealth. “In most cases, there is a treatable condition that has not been properly diagnosed.”
“The highly skilled, multidisciplinary staff at The Balance Center provides clinical expertise and makes use of advanced technology to diagnose the balance disorder and then develops an effective treatment plan for it,” says Dr. Ernesto Tolentino, an orthopedic surgeon and medical director of The Balance Center.
“It’s important to get a handle on a problem like this as soon as possible before it leads to a potentially serious outcome.”
The new center is located on the Jersey City Medical Center campus at 377 Grand Street (Skinner Drive) in Jersey City. For more information, call 1-800-632-6807.
Balance disorders are one of the most common causes of injury and hospitalization in the U.S.
The new Serenity Rose Garden, created by the hospital’s new Auxiliary and completed on the campus of Jersey City Medical Center this spring, gives physicians, patients and their families a chance to take a breather from the hospital by sitting on the new park benches amid flowers.
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Epilepsy Program Reaches Diverse Patient Groups
“Epilepsy is not a case of ‘one size fits all,’” says Dr. Evan Fertig, co-director of the recently opened Epilepsy Center at Jersey City Medical Center, and a board certified neurologist and epileptologist. “It affects people differently from young children to middle aged adults to seniors, can be caused by a number of different factors, and occurs far more commonly than people think.”
According to the American Epilepsy Society, epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder found in children living in the U.S. and the third most common neurological condition affecting adults (after Alzheimer’s disease and stroke).
Epilepsy is marked by seizures, or sudden alterations of behavior due to temporary changes in the electrical functioning of the brain. A person is said to have epilepsy if he or she has had two or more seizures that are not provoked (for example by drugs or alcohol or extremely low blood sugar).
Seizures rarely last for 30 minutes or longer and strike unpredictably, disrupting whatever activity the person is engaged in. For this reason, uncontrollable epilepsy can render an individual unable to work, and may also cause significant injury and even death due to falls, drowning, or motor vehicle crashes. A long-lasting convulsive seizure can by itself cause permanent injury or death.
About half of the patients seen at the Epilepsy Center are children. Among those who are young when their epilepsy is diagnosed, about 20 percent who start on medication will never
have another seizure even when the medication is stopped. Over 50 percent of children with epilepsy will eventually outgrow their condition.
Most adults also do well with medication: 50 – 60 percent will be seizure-free after taking their first seizure medication. Conversely, 20 to 30 percent will still suffer from seizures even after multiple medications are prescribed.
Temporal lobe epilepsy, the most common form of epilepsy that does not respond to medication, is highly amenable to surgery. About 70 percent of these patients will be rendered free of disabling seizures after surgery.
Diet is also used to treat epilepsy. Other treatments include steroid therapies and the implantation of a device called a vagus nerve stimulator into the chest like a pacemaker.
“Accurate diagnosis is critical for treatment, which is why patients need to be seen by experts as soon as they begin to present with seizures, or if they continue to have seizures despite treatment,” says Dr. Fertig.
“With proper care, the majority of people with epilepsy can live fulfilling and productive lives.”
The new Wall of Honor at Jersey City Medical Center was created in partnership with the Sharing Network of New Jersey to honor those individuals who donated their organs to help others. Mary DiNardo, wife of slain Jersey City police officer, is shown at the wall with Joe Scott, President/CEO LibertyHealth, Jersey City Emergency Services Unit Officer, Frank Molina, Jr, and Jersey City Police Chief Thomas Comey.
ORGAN DONORS’ WALL OF HONOR
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New Technology at JCMC Offers Patient Benefits
Here’s a look at some of the new technologies and modalities now available at Jersey City Medical Center:BRACHYTHERAPY FOR PROSTATE CANCER
Doctors at Jersey City Medical Center are now offering a form of radiotherapy called prostate seed implantation or brachytherapy for prostate cancer.
According to Dr. Yale Shulman, “With brachytherapy, we place radioactive pellets or seeds under precise ultrasound control into the prostate to eradicate the cancer. The treatment is well tolerated and is performed on an outpatient basis.”
Needles containing the seeds are inserted through the skin of the perineum (the area between the scrotum and anus) using ultrasound guidance.
“The seeds remain in the prostate, where the radioactive material gives off localized radiation for a number of months to destroy the prostate cancer,” says Dr. Shulman, a board certified urologist. ”No surgical incision is required and there is a short recovery time. Patients can usually return to work and normal activities within several days.”
Brachytherapy is an option for patients with localized prostate cancer. New advances in seed technology allow doctors to securely place seeds at the border of and adjacent to the prostate to treat cancer that might have extended to the surrounding tissue.
“Brachytherapy gives our patients a minimally invasive and effective option to surgery,” says Dr. Williams, a radiation oncologist. “Published 12-year data show disease-free survival rates with brachytherapy to be as high as 93%.”
CuStOmizEd KNEE SurgErY
Within an hour of her total knee replacement surgery, Henrietta Bradley was receiving physical therapy and after two days was walking and feeling very little discomfort.
Bradley was one of the first patients in the New York
metro area to undergo a new customized knee replacement procedure, which works on the premise that personalized positioning guides created especially for the patient will provide for a more comfortable, longer lasting implant solution.
“The difference is that we use 3-dimensional software and an MRI of the patient’s knee to determine size and placement of the implants prior to surgery,” says Dr. Ernesto Tolentino, who performed the surgery. “This allows us to make very precise and accurate bone cuts that are specific to the individual patient. Before, we were forced to rely on our experience and intra-operative judgment to correctly size and place the implant. Now, patients spend considerably less time on the operating table, require less replacement blood and benefit from everything fitting together perfectly.”
“We now have access to a far greater level of detail and precision for implant positioning and alignment, long before we go into the OR,” says Dr. Clay Irving, chair of the hospital’s orthopedic department. “This greatly enhances surgical efficiency and the lives of the patients we treat.”
PREvENTiNG DEHYDRATiON iN CHiLDREN
Emergency department doctors and nurses at Jersey City Medical Center are rehydrating sick children by administering fluids subcutaneously (under the skin) with the use of Hylenex, the first and only human recombinant approved by the Food &
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Drug Administration for infants and young children with mild to moderate dehydration.
Hylenex is a purified preparation of the enzyme hyaluronidase, which breaks down hyaluronic acid, a space-filling gel that exists in the subcutaneous tissue. Hylenex temporarily makes the tissue beneath the skin more permeable and able to absorb fluid, thus allowing fluids to be more readily absorbed into the blood vessels.
“For many children, the worst part of the hospital experience is the placement of the IV,” says Dr. Michael Bessette, Director of the Emergency Department at Jersey City Medical Center.
“This can mean screaming children, anguished parents and a team of doctors and nurses needed to hold the child down in order to insert the IV.”
With Hylenex, while the parent hugs the child, an ER doctor or nurse places a catheter in the child’s upper back – a part of the body where they
are less likely to feel pain – without the need to secure a vein for treatment initiation.
Placing the catheter and injecting the fluid takes minutes, whereas it takes an average of 45 minutes with an IV. Hydration is normally completed within about three hours, compared to five hours with an IV.
‘NO STiTCH’ SURGERY
To Dr. Anroy Ottley, a general surgeon at Jersey City Medical Center, the new “no incision” laparoscopic gallbladder surgery represents a new frontier in minimally invasive surgery.
“The ability to operate now on a patient with minimal visible scarring is as remarkable an evolution as the first laparoscopic surgeries were 20 years ago,” he says. “This not only is a benefit from a cosmetic perspective, but it means less post-operative pain and risk of infection for the patient.”
According to Maria Thaxton, a 41-year-old Bayonne resident who had the surgery, even that one incision is hard to find. Thaxton, who had been experiencing severe pain from
gallstones, was prepared to have the traditional laparoscopic surgery to remove her gallbladder.
“My boss had the laparoscopic procedure and told me to prepare myself for the scars and pain,” she says. “Fortunately, with the new procedure, I have no scars and experienced a fraction of the discomfort. You can’t even tell that I had surgery.”
Dr. Ottley is one of a small, but growing number of surgeons around the country and the first surgeon in Hudson County to use the SILS™ procedure for gallbladder removal (or cholecystectomy). The procedure uses a single 15 mm incision (made “invisibly” in the belly button), thereby avoiding the four ½ inch or smaller incisions typically required with traditional laparoscopic techniques. The new procedure is also available for appendix removal (when the appendix is not ruptured), and certain urologic and gynecologic procedures.
With the SILS procedure, surgeons insert three hollow tubes or cannulae through a single rubberized port – rather than the four separate ports used with the conventional laparoscopic procedure. It features a valve that allows them to inflate the abdomen for optimal instrument access and provides stability and support for hand instruments with maximum movement.
DiAGNOSTiC TOOL
Physicians at Jersey City Medical Center are using an innovative web-based diagnostic tool to help them solve difficult patient diagnoses.
The “Isabel” system assists doctors in those 10 to 15 percent of cases which are more difficult to diagnose. The system complements the physician’s expertise by producing a differential diagnosis checklist of those diagnoses most closely related to the patient’s clinical features. Physicians enter a patient’s vital signs and symptoms into the system and instantly receive a checklist of likely diagnoses and more information from medical journals and textbooks, hospital protocols, and online sources.
The Isabel system was conceived 10 years ago as a direct response to the near-fatal misdiagnosis of a three year-old girl in London named Isabel Maude, who developed necrotizing fasciitis, a complication of chicken pox. The girl’s father later founded the technology, which is now incorporated at hospitals around the world.
New Technology at JCMC Offers Patient Benefits
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Spine Center Offers Minimally invasive Procedures
The Comprehensive Spine Institute of New Jersey, a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to the diagnosis and treatment of back and neck pain and loss of function, opened this summer.
The new spine center emphasizes the use of minimally invasive and motion-preserving procedures once more conservative treatments – medication, exercise, injections, physical and occupational therapy, stress management, acupuncture – have been fully explored.
“Back or neck pain strikes four out of every five people sometime in their lives, and the pain can at times be debilitating and life changing,” says Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo, director of the new center and a fellowship trained surgeon. “Our mission is to offer a customized approach to alleviating the patient’s pain and returning him or her to normal activities as soon as possible.
According to Dr. Okubadejo, minimally invasive spine surgery is “performed with the aid of specially designed technologies which assist in better visualization of the surgical field, resulting in less scarring, less pain and less blood loss, expediting the recovery process.”
The center will treat such disorders as low back pain, neck pain, spinal stenosis, herniated disks, spine compression fractures, degenerative spine disease, congenital spine disorders, metastatic disorders, spondylolisthesis, sciatica, and problems stemming from earlier bouts with childhood scoliosis.
For more information, the toll free number is 877-854-8CSi (8274).
it’s About Acting F.A.S.T. When it Comes to StrokesClinicians at the new Stroke Center at Jersey City Medical Center, which is the regional trauma center and a designated state-certified primary stroke center, emphasize the importance of a F.A.S.t. response to strokes.
Nearly 800,000 Americans each year suffer a new or recurrent stroke, about 20% of which are fatal. While most strokes affect older people, they can occur at any age.
“Most strokes do affect seniors, but the triad of risk factors we see in our population – high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, along with a non-compliance in taking the medication prescribed for them – results in us also seeing many younger stroke patients,” says Michele Lopez, an RN and coordinator of the Stroke Center.
“The acronym F.A.S.t. is a good way for people to remember the signs and symptoms of stroke,” adds Dr. Kenneth Garay, the hospital’s Chief Medical Officer. “With stroke, every minute counts.”
The initials stand for Face, which will appear to droop and show an uneven smile during a stroke; Arms, which often will become numb and/or weak; Speech, which can be slurred or difficult to understand; and Time, which is key, with 9-1-1 needing to be called at the first sign.
The risk factors for stroke include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, smoking, heavy alcohol use, physical inactivity, obesity, atrial fibrillation and a family history of stroke.
Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo, Director
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Therapeutic Hypothermia Saves Patient’s LifeLorenzo Rivera Jr. credits his father’s survival to Jersey City Medical Center’s use of therapeutic hypothermia, which he says saved the Jersey City man’s life after he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while he was undergoing rehabilitation.
“He wasn’t himself that day,” remembers Rivera, who took his father to the facility that afternoon to rehab his weakened legs. “He wasn’t talking much, and he was breathing hard, he seemed to be gasping for air. Then he collapsed on the floor and he stopped breathing.”
Rivera ran to get help from a nurse, who immediately started CPR. EMTs from Jersey City Medical Center soon arrived to rush the unconscious former truck mechanic to the hospital.
In the meantime, Emergency Medical Services alerted the hospital’s Emergency Department that a patient meeting the inclusion criteria for therapeutic hypothermia – “down” less than 30 minutes due to sudden cardiac arrest; with no bleeding problems, signs of head trauma or stroke, or known cardiac history; over the age of 17 – was on his way. This allowed physicians and nurses to prepare the chilled catheter that, once the patient arrived, would be inserted into his femoral vein with the intent of dropping his body temperature over the next 18 to 24 hours from 98.6°F to between 90° and 93°F.
Doctors told the younger Rivera that his father’s prognosis was poor. Even if he survived, they said, his father could very likely have significant neurologic problems.
“Therapeutic hypothermia involves lowering a cardiac arrest patient’s body temperature for 24 hours to prevent brain damage and improve neurological function,” says Dr. Michael Bessette, medical director of the Emergency Department at Jersey City Medical Center. “It gives the patient a better chance of being ‘neurologically intact,’ after a cardiac event.”
The American Heart Association advises doctors to induce hypothermia in patients in cardiac arrest who remain unconscious once Return of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC) is achieved after defibrillation. This protects against the body compensating by shunting blood away from the brain and other organs to the heart.
Once the catheter was inserted, the senior Rivera was brought upstairs to the hospital’s critical care unit.
According to Jessica Walsh, medical and surgical ICU nurse manager, “We follow a specific protocol to induce hypothermia, which includes sedatives, analgesia and often intravenous paralytics, which requires intensive nursing care and continuous monitoring.”
After three days, Rivera was up and speaking again and, according to his son, back to being a somewhat cranky patient. Rivera’s story was covered on television and in the local newspapers, providing the Medical Center with another example of our success in “enhancing life.”
Capsule Endoscopy Now AvailablePatients at Jersey City Medical Center who suffer such recurrent or persistent symptoms as abdominal pain, diarrhea, bleeding or anemia may now be able to avoid a same day endoscopy procedure – which necessitates anesthesia – by swallowing a small pill.
The pill, weighing less than four grams and containing a digital camera, battery, radio transmitter and light source, is now being used by gastroenterologists at Jersey City Medical Center to transmit images as it journeys through the GI tract. This procedure, known as capsule endoscopy, allows the doctor to examine the three areas of the small intestine – duodenum, jejunum and ileum – which are often difficult to visualize through conventional endoscopy because of its 30-foot long length and complex configuration.
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EMS Recognized as ‘innovation Hero’
Jersey City Medical Center is the first EMS agency in the country to have received all 3 of these accreditations.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) at Jersey City Medical Center has been named the statewide winner of NJBiz’s Healthcare Heroes awards program in the category of
“Innovation Hero.”
“This is a tremendous honor and it speaks to the excellence of our 250-person team,” says Christopher Rinn, Executive Director of EMS.
Due to its innovations, the Jersey City Medical Center EMS routinely provides the seamless integration of basic and advanced life support service, management of the medical 911 system, and economical infusion of technology to save lives.
Most importantly, these innovations have helped EMS set a new standard for saving lives - response time. Using new technology and training, EMS restructured its deployment plan and reduced average response time to 5 minutes 20 seconds. As a result with patients who experience cardiac arrest, there has been a 73% improvement in Return to Spontaneous Circulation rate – which indicates circulation is regained – resulting in an improvement in the mortality rate of 66%.
To make this remarkable improvement, the EMS Department made dramatic changes in its system, adding such new technologies as:
• System Status Management – This strategically positions ambulances throughout the communities served. It allows the management team to analyze past chronological demand (both the time of day and the day of week when calls are received) and geographical demand (the physical location where ambulances are needed) to determine where and when ambulances will be needed.
• Dynamic Asset Deployment – Intelligent routing, live graphical display of current and required resources, and on-demand innovative analysis are just a few of the ways the EMS Department is using technology to reduce response time and save lives.
• Call Screening Process - Usually an ambulance is dispatched after verifying the nature of the emergency, which
can take an average of 50 seconds or up to 90 seconds. EMS changed protocol to dispatch an ambulance as soon as the location of the emergency was determined, reducing average time to 30 seconds.
• Shift Change – Calls can be delayed around shift changes but by spreading the shift change over a greater time period, EMS reduced delays. This minimized the number of units that were out-of-service due to shift change.
• Stocking of vehicles – All ambulance cabinets were refitted with transparent doors and break away seals that allow staff to see what equipment is present without having to check each cabinet.
Additionally, EMS now uses First Watch, a state-of-the-art computer software program that allows it to identify trends ahead of time so First Responders can take appropriate actions to help both staff and patients. The surveillance tool continually monitors the underlying data once certain key words are marked as triggers. In the case of swine flu, for example, it documents cases of infection and sends notifications to handheld devices giving EMS management the ability to make crucial decisions regarding flu surge for the benefit of both emergency personnel and patients.
Students at Liberty High School received a demonstration on the dangers of drinking and driving from the Jersey City Medical Center Emergency Medical Service and the Jersey City Police Department. A fatal accident was staged with students wearing makeup to emphasize safety as prom and graduation season approached.
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Newborns Get Fighting Chance to Lead Healthy LivesAdvances in care at Jersey City Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) have given newborns, some as small as 500 kilograms (about one pound), a fighting chance not only to survive but to lead normal and healthy lives.
According to Dr. Suhail Alsheikh, who has practiced Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and Pediatrics at the medical center since first arriving in the 1970s, survival rates were once poor for babies born prematurely, and those who did survive often faced long-term health consequences.
Dr. Alsheikh and his team of specialists today have the technology to provide better ventilation for babies with poorly developed lungs. They are more aggressive in making sure these fragile newborns receive better nutrition. They have the ability to monitor for brain damage or bleeding in the brain, and treat a variety of afflicting infections. They know now to treat these tiny babies with optimum oxygen exposure, which in the past was the primary culprit in causing blindness and other eye problems. And, they know the importance of closely following these patients for months and even years after they leave the hospital.
“We’re able to do so much more for these babies today, even for the very smallest ones,” says Dr. Alsheikh, the hospital’s senior staff neonatologist. “Babies are brought here from throughout the county, some of whom have been delivered after only 20 weeks of gestation (or more than five months prematurely).”
Jersey City Medical Center serves as the county’s only designated Regional Perinatal Center. Its Antenatal Center offers comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services for patients with high-risk pregnancies. These services are provided by a full-time maternal fetal medicine specialist, geneticist, and specialized technicians.
Babies may stay several days or as long as several months in NICU, and benefit from such advances as:
• Endotracheal introduction of “Surfactant” to improve infants underdeveloped lungs;
• Special ventilators and other respiratory support devices that offer extra help for infants to breath;
• Feeding tubes that are either placed in the stomach or through the nose to deliver breast milk or formula;
• Incubators and beds with radiant heaters that maintain steady temperatures;
• Intravenous nutrition and a variety of medications that may help with heart function, blood pressure, pain relief or other desired functions;
• Phototherapy, a special light therapy that eliminates jaundice, a common condition seen among preemies.
According to Dr. Alsheikh, “A combination of advanced technology and a trained staff can make a huge difference in treating these tiny patients successfully and getting their lives off on the right foot.”
Former patients in the NICU and family attend a Halloween party with staff.
‘Dinner with the Doctor’ Proves to be a WinnerJersey City Medical Center has been running an enormously popular monthly program called “Dinner with the Doctor,” where area residents get the chance to enjoy a light dinner and listen to leading physicians discuss their specialty and answer questions. There is no cost for the hour-long program, which has focused in recent months on topics ranging from breathing problems to strokes, spine surgery, epilepsy, heart problems in women, and colon and rectal cancer.
“Our mission is ‘enhancing life’ and, with our ‘Dinner with the Doctor’ series, we do it through fostering education and awareness,” says Joseph F. Scott, President and CEO of LibertyHealth. “We strongly encourage those people who live and work in the communities we serve to meet some of the area’s best doctors and get answers to questions they many have on various health and medical topics.”
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Hospital Draws 200+ New PhysiciansJersey City Medical Center has added over 200 new physicians over the last year. Adding these doctors, who represent virtually every specialty, has not happened by chance.
“The hospital has focused on four pillars – patient safety, patient satisfaction, clinical quality and economic health,” says Joseph Scott, President and CEO of LibertyHealth. “This has made the hospital strong and healthy, in helping us attract leading physicians from throughout Hudson County and northern New Jersey.”
The hospital’s transformation was recently substantiated by Castle Connolly, which named Jersey City Medical Center the best in New Jersey (with fewer than 350 beds) based on the opinions of physicians throughout the state.
“The hospital has new leadership and a new attitude, which makes it an exciting place to be,” says Dr. Julie DiGioia, a well-respected breast surgeon, who has taken a position with the hospital’s new Cristie Kerr Women’s Health Center. “The fact that so many of my colleagues who trained with me – in different specialties like internal medicine, OB, pediatrics – are all coming back, is very special.”
Dr. DiGioia grew up in Jersey City. Her father, John, an internist, trained at the hospital in the 1940s and was a fixture in the city for many years, working as a physician for the police and fire departments and the railroad. The younger Dr. DiGioia (her brother and sister are also doctors) later did her surgical residency at Jersey City Medical Center after completing medical school.
“It’s great to see nurses who trained with me in the ‘80s now in leadership positions at the hospital,” she says. “Together, we’re looking to accomplish great things.”
Dr. John Dedousis is another Jersey City native – who trained at Jersey City Medical Center and only chose to return to the hospital last year. A one-time President of the medical staff and chief of medicine at Bayonne Medical Center, he initially came to Jersey City Medical Center because of the insurance problems his patients faced in Bayonne.
“My patients were upset and I needed another facility,” he says. “Once I started coming here though I recognized the high quality of care. My patients have had a very positive experience. I like how quickly and efficiently things get done here. Tests are ordered quickly and results are back fast, which helps me. Plus, it’s nice that my patients are no longer complaining about getting a bill.”
Marissa Fisher, RN, Injury Prevention Coordinator for the Trauma Division at Jersey City Medical Center, educates parents and caregivers in Jersey City about restraining their children safety seats properly. “Taking the time to learn more about how to protect our children in a vehicle can be a lifesaving lesson,” she says.
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Hospital Opens Therapeutic Nursery ProgramUpon receipt of a state grant for more than $400,000, the Department of Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Services at Jersey City Medical Center created a therapeutic nursery program for children ages three to five years in Hudson County who are in need of intensive therapeutic intervention due to emotional, behavioral and/or psychiatric problems.
The grant from the New Jersey Department of Child and Family Services supports programs, supplies, clinical salaries and transportation for children who are at risk of losing daycare, school and/or home placement or are in jeopardy of requiring hospitalization. Many of these children demonstrate developmental delays that also contribute to difficulties in their ability to attend a typical daycare or nursery school program.
“The therapeutic nursery, which greatly expanded on and enhanced our existing program, provides a structured, supportive environment that allows for a corrective experience that will increase the child’s ability to function in a developmentally appropriate manner in school, at home and within their community,” says Marli Vogel Gelfand, Director of the hospital’s Department of Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Services.
The program offers family support and education, and provides daily group therapy sessions, individual play therapy, behavioral modification, medication therapy, family services, and case management and community outreach.
Children who demonstrate severely impaired social and emotional functioning, inappropriate behavior, sleep and eating disorders, extreme anxiety and/or depression, problems interacting with adults and other children, and inappropriate aggressive behaviors are accepted as self-referrals or referrals from DYFS, schools, physicians, hospitals and other groups. The estimated length of stay is four to six months.
Gi Center Opens at HospitalJersey City Medical Center recently opened a Gastrointestinal Disorders (GI) Center on its campus.
The new center, located on the hospital’s second floor, offers outpatients extensive screening, diagnostic and treatment options for digestive diseases and other problems relating to the urinary or gastrointestinal tract.
Digestive system symptoms are responsible for an estimated 35.9 million office visits annually, and include approximately 14.5 million American adults diagnosed with ulcers, 7.95
million seeking help for constipation and about 16 million who complain of abdominal pain, cramps and spasm.
The new center is geared to diagnosing and treating adults with such disorders as colon and rectal cancer, incontinence, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn’s and Celiac diseases, constipation, and pelvic pain syndrome. The Center uses state-of-the-art equipment and procedures as a Pelvic Floor Lab for urinary and digestive problems, fluoroscopy technology, biofeedback, and endo-rectal ultrasound.
For more information on the new GI Center of Excellence at Jersey City Medical Center, go to www.libertyhealth.org.
Outpatient Therapy Center Opens
Outpatients recovering from the pain and discomfort of trauma, surgery, geriatric- and sports-related injuries can now take advantage of the new state-of-the-art LibertyHealth Outpatient Physical Rehabilitation Center. The new facility is on the second floor of
the Medical Office Building on the campus of the Jersey City Medical Center.
The 25,000 square foot center serves outpatients needing rehabilitation following fractures, sprains/strains, bursitis, tendonitis, sciatica, painful joints, arthritis, strokes, radiculopathies, joint replacements and other conditions.
“We are using the most advanced modalities and providing personalized one-to-one physical rehabilitation for outpatients suffering from conditions of the neuromuscular system, including hand, elbow, shoulder, neck, back, hip and knee problems,” says Norman Resurreccion, the hospital’s manager of physical therapy.
To make an appointment, or for more information, call (201) 309-2425.
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Care to make a difference in people’s lives?
Making a donation to the LibertyHealth Foundation helps improve and enhance the
health of people living and working in Jersey City and Hudson County. Please feel
free to call the Foundation Office at 201-377-6057 with any questions regarding
various charitable gift opportunities and naming opportunities.
www.libertyhealth.org/foundation
Christine Wade, Nurse Manager in the Emergency Department at Jersey City Medical Center, was an honoree of the city’s Cinco de Mayo Festival. She was honored for her work as near as Jersey City and as far away as Haiti, where she helped out following the country’s devastating earthquake, Christine poses here with Jersey City Medical Center colleagues Heather Montas-Paulo (left) and Erica Kurtenbach.
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www.libertyhealth.org
#1 Overall NJ Hospitalaccording to Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.’s recent survey of New Jersey physicians for Hospitals with “fewer than 350 beds.”
Congratulations to our dedicated Physicians, Nurses, EMTs, and hospital staff for making Jersey City Medical Center the:
We would like to thank all of the doctors and patients throughout New Jersey who recommended us for these honors.
(201) 915-2000
Enhancing Life…Through Physician Recommended Care
Jersey City Medical Center was the only hospital to be recognized in the “Top 10” in all categories, including the following:
#1 High-Risk Pregnancy#1 Neurological Disorders#1 Stroke#2 Congestive Heart Failure#2 Coronary Bypass#3 Prostate Cancer
A Primary Teaching Affiliate of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and your Quality Regional Healthcare Provider
The only hospital in Hudson, Essex, and Union counties to be recognized with the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence!
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