The State of New Jersey, USA has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As one of New Jersey’s leaders in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, Hackensack Meridian Health has treated over 32,000 patients battling this infection, more than any other health system in the State. Many of these patients experience persistent symptoms which require evaluation. These include shortness of breath anxiety, cardiac rhythm abnormalities, confusional states, and clotting abnormalities leading to stroke, for example. We are providing a comprehensive post-COVID evaluation and referral for evaluation, support, treatment and referral to specialists who have experience with this disease. In particular, these patients need care from specialists focusing on the heart, lungs and behavioral health. In addition, we are obtaining patient consent to collect clinical and biological matter for further research efforts at HMH which may provide future interventions regarding COVID-19.
To address this need, Hackensack Meridian Health developed NJ’s first COVID-19 Recovery Center – a program which bridges physical offices and virtual visits. Utilizing the benefits of both telehealth and in-person care, our Recovery Center is open to New Jersey residents and beyond who are requiring follow-up care once they have been deemed “COVID-free.”
As a leader in research and innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, has also contributed to academic literature which has set forth clinical protocols for the treatment of COVID-19 patients throughout the country. We know that care does not stop when patients leave our hospitals which is why Hackensack Meridian Health is committed to the recovery and long-term care of COVID-19 patients.
Led by Laurie G. Jacobs, M.D. Chair, Department of Medicine at Hackensack Meridian Health, the COVID-19 Recovery Center has been able to successfully treat patients since the summer of 2020. Dr. Jacobs, a graduate of Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, who completed an internal medicine (IM) residency and geriatrics fellowship training at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, recently served as President and Board Chair of the American Geriatrics Society. Dr. Jacobs continues to teach and practice geriatrics at Hackensack Meridian Health in addition to her leadership roles.
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 – Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin; a behavioral health hospital – Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead; and two rehabilitation hospitals - JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.
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 more than 35,000 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 being named to Becker’s Healthcare’s “150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare/2018” list.
The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its first class of students in 2018 to its On3 campus in Nutley and Clifton. Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 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
Join the webinar: Emerging from the Pandemic: The Long-Term Impact of COVID-19
Thursday 11th February – 5PM GST
At this webinar, you can hear more about Hackensack Meridian Health's COVID-19 Recovery Center – a program which bridges physical offices and virtual visits. Utilizing the benefits of both telehealth and in-person care, the Recovery Center is open to local, national and international who are requiring follow-up care once they have been deemed “COVID-free.”
Register for free >>
