Hackensack Meridian Health

Patty and Carolina, clerical care coordinators, were waiting for a beloved patient one morning when something didn't feel right. The charming, happy-go-lucky 70-year-old man had been coming to Ocean University Medical Center twice a week for years, always arriving an hour early to chat with team members and patients in the outpatient oncology unit. But on this day, he hadn't yet arrived. Patty and Carolina knew something was wrong. “Something didn’t feel right to us,” said Carolina. “He always arrives early to his appointments, so when he didn’t, we felt worried.” Patty and Carolina decided to call the patient, and they did so several times. After no luck reaching him, and knowing he lived alone, they jumped into action. Trusting their instincts, they escalated their concerns to a social worker who connected with his emergency contact, a close friend. The patient’s friend arrived at his home and found him lying on the floor nearly unresponsive. The patient was brought to the Emergency Department and was admitted to the Critical Care Unit with a diagnosis of metabolic acidosis, urosepsis and acute renal failure. Had Patty and Carolina not been concerned and taken action, this patient would have had a much different outcome. The patient received the appropriate care, and was able to leave the CCU a few days after, making a miracle recovery. “We went up to visit him when he was still admitted,” said Patty. “Our patients feel like family to us.” For their care beyond expectations, both Patty and Carolina will receive network-wide awards.

Today, as we celebrate America and all that makes our country what it is, we want to give our thanks. All year long, through national holidays, personal milestones and countless obstacles, our physicians, nurses and team members show up. As we gather with friends and family, we are truly grateful for those who ensure our community is cared for on this day and every other. Thank you. #fourthofjuly #gratitude #thankyou

For Dr. Kevin Slavin, people are the why behind what he does. As our vice president and chief quality officer of children's services, and as associate professor at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the work he does touches the hearts and lives of countless people. Dr. Slavin selflessly effects change not only in pediatric infectious disease, but the LGBTQIA+ community. When Dr. Slavin was growing up, his doctor recognized in him what he saw in his own son. “My pediatrician was a great role model who I trusted during my high school years. His son is gay, and he recognized what I was not allowed to say out loud,” he says. “That conversation was helpful to me—it helped me to feel a little better about what I was feeling.” At the end of his freshman year at the University of California, Berkeley Dr. Slavin came out to his parents. “It was difficult for my parents. It didn’t fit with their expectations of what they hoped and wanted for me,” he said. Still, Dr. Slavin continued his education and received his medical degree from UCLA. While completing his residency at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Slavin and his forever person, Bill Koumas, celebrated their domestic partnership commitment in San Francisco. Dr. Slavin decided Hackensack University Medical Center was the place he wanted to build his career as a pediatric infectious disease specialist. After moving to New Jersey, he and Bill tied the knot three more times—one domestic partnership and one civil union in New Jersey, and for the final time in New York, when marriage equality was signed into law. Dr. Slavin and Bill believed that their voices could make a difference. “I thought it was really important to speak out. You love who you love, and you should get the benefit of being married to that person...to legally have that person be at your side when you’re sick,” he says. “Everyone should have the same access to all the same benefits and rights. We should not marginalize people based on who they love or what they look like.” Last year, Dr. Slavin supported residents in their effort to improve inclusivity at Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital with the introduction of pronoun buttons. He's proud of the work that’s being done. “In pediatrics, we are working hard to help people understand patients where they are, creating a safe space. Whether you’re transgender, gay, lesbian, straight, bisexual, however you identify—our pronouns are visible, and our patients are treated with the utmost respect.” It's that mentality that continues to inspire him. “Whatever I’m doing, I believe it is important to leave behind something that’s better than it would have been if I hadn’t been there. That resonates very strongly with me. I want to continually grow and develop as a person. What I really value is effecting change in the bigger picture to make things better.” #PrideMonth has come to an end, but our gratitude for Dr. Slavin on our team continues year round.

8️⃣ is great! We're excited to celebrate 8 years of Hackensack Meridian Health. Since July 1, 2016, our best-in-class physicians, incredible nurses and amazing team have led us to accomplish more than we could have imagined. Watch to see just 8 of these major accomplishments — and thank you for trusting us with your care. Our proudest achievement of all is caring for our community.

Alyssa Golas MD MBA FACS, chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery at JFK University Medical Center, is driven by her passion for helping others. Through her specialty, she is able to care for patients with reconstruction after cancer surgery, massive weight loss and complex wounds—and with gender-affirming care. Dr. Golas heads the program that offers chest masculinization, breast augmentation and body contouring as well as gender affirming hormone treatment and patient navigation for transgender and gender diverse patients.   “I really enjoy it,” Dr. Golas said. “I like the opportunity to be involved with something that makes the patient feel whole. When the patient wakes up from this surgery they are happy.”   Approximately one-third of her patients are transgender or gender diverse and come to JFK from all over the East Coast. She’s seen a patient from as far away as Mississippi.   “We have an incredible opportunity to make an enormous difference for the positive in these patients’ lives,” she said. “It can really be a life-changing experience in terms of their overall well-being and their ability to interact with the world.”   Before performing surgery, Dr. Golas meets with the patient to discuss their transition and social support network, relying on the support of a behavioral health care provider with a more long-standing relationship with the patient.   “For a lot of patients this is an easy decision,” Dr. Golas said. “Often they have been thinking about it for years. They haven’t had the opportunity, or had health insurance. By the time they come to see me they want to have the surgery, they’re just trying to find the right surgeon and the right place.”   To help make JFK the right place, Dr. Golas and Jackie Baras, DNP, MBA/HCS, RN, patient advocate and navigator, hold educational sessions with team members on topics like using the right pronouns, asking for preferred names and what transgender means. “It’s one thing to take a class on a computer, but to have the conversation and practice it—it takes getting used to,” Dr Golas said. “I think the team at first was not comfortable asking someone ‘what should I call you’ and ‘what pronoun should I use.’ They wanted to be respectful, but they were worried that asking that was not being respectful. In fact it’s the opposite. It shows that you care and you want to get it right...that it’s important to address patients as they want to be addressed.”   Dr. Golas praised the team for providing outstanding, culturally competent care. A hallmark of the team’s approach is helping everyone to feel comfortable and safe the day of their surgery.   Often a new patient will tell Dr. Golas that they were referred by a former patient. “That’s the best compliment a surgeon can get,” she said.   Gender-affirming care is particularly rewarding for Dr. Golas: “I think I enjoy my job more because I feel I’m really making a difference for people and having an impact on patients’ lives.”

Dr. Ami Vaidya isn't just at the top of her field. She's on top of the world 🏔️ Now the co-chief of the gynecologic oncology division and vice chair of obstetrics and gynecology, she first wanted to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in seventh grade social studies. "I thought, 'I would love to get to the top of that point someday!' So as a 12-year-old I filed it away in my mind. I went off to college and med school and of course after becoming a physician with a cancer specialty—there’s no time to do that,” she said. Dr. Vaidya married her husband, had two daughters, led an all female gynecological cancer surgery team at John Theurer Cancer Center and helped countless patients. But through all of these accomplishments, this one goal never left her mind. Eventually, after years of putting others first, she took the plunge to climb the 19,341 feet of Africa’s tallest peak. “It’s the classic story for every woman—we don’t prioritize ourselves. But I was ready to really challenge myself in a physical way and an opportunity came up to do something for me. This time there was no reason to say no.” After months of training, she arrived in the place of her dreams. “It took five days to go up. And the first couple days it was refreshing to feel removed from my world and my existence. I felt well trained and well prepared. I felt fantastic until about 15,000 feet,” she said. That's when Dr. Vaidya began suffering from oxygen deprivation. It was an unfamiliar feeling for this successful doctor, who has always been the one telling others to keep fighting. “Being a surgeon, I’m supposed to be the captain of the ship. I’m the one who advocates for the patient and leads the team. Now suddenly, I’m the one in this vulnerable position who needs help. I needed the support of my friends and the leaders on the trip.” “I felt like I couldn’t do it. I mean, I couldn’t breathe. But I also had something to prove to myself. I could not fail. And my hiking team did not let me fail. So the power of the team and the power of friends and the power of this incredible community all came through.” And with that she got to the top of the peak, blazing a brand new kind of trail. #inspiring #doctor #mountainclimbing

Thank you to Representative Josh Gottheimer and Representative Lauren Underwood, who visited Hackensack University Medical Center as part of their work in stopping the Black maternal mortality crisis. We are proud to partner in their efforts to improve outcomes and to advocate for health equity, in New Jersey and beyond. #newjersey #maternalmortality #congress Mark Sparta

Introducing the Hackensack Meridian Health & Wellness Center at Paramus. As part of our mission to meet patients where they are, we have opened a series of local Health & Wellness Centers over the past three years — with our largest recently opening in Paramus. These facilities increase accessibility and deliver high-quality care to communities across the state, offering primary care, diagnostic imaging, specialty practices, labs and other services all under one roof. Outpatient integrated care close to home provides convenience, empowers patients and reduces the burden on hospitals and medical staff, all while improving outcomes and building healthier communities. We aim to enhance the experience for not only our patients, but our team members as well, and with this new center we are living our mission to transform health care. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eas4RwPz #medicine #healthcare #newjersey

Welcome home, Air Med Two 🚁 The recently upgraded helipad at Ocean University Medical Center is its new home base. Equipped with a medical flight crew and the latest technology, Air Med Two is equivalent to the most sophisticated intensive care unit as it provides transport to emergency care within the region. This community asset is something to celebrate, and we were proud to do so with Brick Township Mayor Lisa Crate, Council President Vince Minichino, president and chief hospital executive Frank Citara, MBA, hospital leadership, the Air Methods team, flight crew members and local first responders. #ems #firstresponder #newjersey

Today we mark Juneteenth! We're proud to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States, and to celebrate freedom. We believe that all of us share a responsibility to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. While we are honored to have that work recognized as the best of any health system in the nation by Fair360, we aim to keep getting better. #juneteenth #diversity #equity