Hackensack Meridian Health

Congratulations to the teams at Bayshore Medical Center, Ocean University Medical Center, Old Bridge Medical Center, Palisades Medical Center, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Riverview Medical Center and Southern Ocean Medical Center! It is your committed, personalized care that has led each one to be named to @Becker's 100 great community hospitals 2025 list. Thank you all for all you do. Read the full list: https://lnkd.in/ga2_WaXK #communityhospital #hospital #healthcare

Burnout was everywhere. In the wake of COVID-19, Hackensack Meridian Health faced what so many others did: a workforce running on empty, rising turnover, and a mountain of data with no clear path forward. But instead of letting exhaustion define them, they chose something radical in its simplicity: ✨ Focus on what’s in your control 💬 Lead with care ❤️ Keep people at the center They rebuilt trust. They sparked hope. They promoted over 1,800 team members and reduced turnover by 25%. It was a new strategy, and a new story, written together with heart. 👇 Read how HMH turned overwhelming data into real, human change—and earned a spot on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For®. https://bit.ly/40Lgn8S Thank you, Tria Deibert and Hackensack Meridian Health team! #GreatPlaceToWork #HackensackMeridianHealth #CaseStudy

“It’s amazing, I can’t even describe it, it’s so cool. I left high school knowing what I wanted to do and came back. It’s very fulfilling to serve my local community - to serve here as a teenager and come back serving as a professional. I knew I needed to come back to where I’m from and bring back that innovation, right back to my community.” From the moment Dr. Stephanie Sansone was diagnosed with scoliosis in 8th grade, through years spent consulting doctors from far and wide for an innovative approach to her condition, attending a high school partnered with Jersey Shore University Medical School, volunteering at Riverview Medical Center and completing her medical education before finally making her full circle moment at Ocean University Medical Center and Jersey Shore University Medical Center, providing the best care possible for her community has been her goal. She recalls sitting in the patient chair as a child, listening to the initial remedial plan being recommended to use a hard brace and feeling the weight of her scoliosis diagnosis. “Because I was so young I felt like this was the end of the world. When you're an 8th grade girl you’re thinking about wearing cool clothes and going to prom, not wearing a bulky brace.” After consulting another physician in New York beyond her local specialists, she was recommended a soft brace. Dr. Sansone immediately saw the value of perspective and continuous advancement of technology in medicine. “The forefront of research and new techniques with a soft brace allowed me to significantly improve my quality of life and I knew the new impact of innovation. It’s not a one size fits all for patients.” From there, she applied to her community premed high school, Monmouth County Academy of Allied Health & Science, which was partnered with Jersey Shore University Medical Center. Inspired by the impact her New York-based physician made on her, Dr. Sansone sought out Weill Cornell Medical College, continuing with her residency in OB/GYN at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and completing her fellowship at New York Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Sansone strives to bring the same approach that inspired her as a child and through her education to her patients today. “There is an art of medicine. It’s beyond the black and white textbook and scientific research. When you enter an appointment, you have to observe your patient’s situation, not treat them like a scientific fact. I see patients that deal with things like pelvic organ prolapse or urine leakage. It's not a huge operation necessarily but that patient can sometimes be embarrassed and on the verge of tears. The diagnosis—how they feel, that’s where the part of empathy and compassion comes in—recognizing how they must feel through these conditions. To another doctor it can be a diagnosis, but to me really it is beyond that.” #PeopleofHMH

Congratulations to Deeba Siddiqui, one of Risk & Insurance's 2025 Risk All Stars! As our chief risk officer and senior vice president of team health and safety, Dr. Siddiqui has implemented several programs emphasizing a network-wide culture of transparency, targeted prevention and collaboration in working towards safety. Her efforts speak for themselves, leading to significant increases in reporting, better team health and remarkable reductions in reportable cases. Each and every one of us is fortunate to have her at the helm. Read more about Dr. Siddiqui's accomplishments: https://lnkd.in/ejCRERWc #risk #teamhealth #teamsafety

Providing top quality care to our community is what we do — in New Jersey and beyond. Congratulations to our inspiring, incredible team members and physicians, whose dedication to the health and wellness of our patients made these recognitions possible. 🏅 Hackensack University Medical Center is a top 20 hospital nationwide, #1 in the NY/NJ Metro area and the #1 hospital in the state 🏅 Jersey Shore University Medical Center is top 20 in the NY/NJ Metro area  and top five in New Jersey 🏅 JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute is again a nationally ranked rehabilitation hospital 🏅 John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center is NJ’s only nationally ranked cancer center #usnews #healthcare #honorroll

Congratulations to our NJBIZ People to Watch in Health Care! We are proud to celebrate the inspiring work of Lori Colineri DNP, NEA-BC, chief nursing officer and vice president, JFK University Medical Center; Opeyemi Oluwole, our chief marketing officer and Mark D. Sparta, our chief operating officer. These three leaders embody our values and mission, and we are proud to have their dedication, expertise and care in the Hackensack Meridian family. https://lnkd.in/eshh4Gpr #healthcare #leadership #newjersey

Community hospitals are cornerstones, providing not only personalized and quality care but supporting their neighborhoods, closing care gaps and innovating to provide the best treatment. We are proud to have incredible leaders at the helm of these efforts, including those recognized by Becker's as community hospital presidents and CEOs to know. Congratulations to: Patricia Carroll, FACHE, president and chief hospital executive of Raritan Bay and Old Bridge Medical Centers Frank Citara, MBA, president and chief hospital executive of Ocean University Medical Center Tim Hogan, president and chief hospital executive of Riverview Medical Center and executive vice president of network service lines Lisa Iachetti, president and chief hospital executive of Palisades Medical Center Caitlin Miller, MBA, MS, BSN, RN-BC, president and chief hospital executive of Bayshore Medical Center Michele Morrison, president and chief hospital executive of JFK University Medical Center Read the full list: https://lnkd.in/eaCkMPyB #communityhospital #newjersey #healthcare

“When people come up to me and say they learned a new word in sign language, it means everything. That effort carries so much weight.” Clara's life is nothing short of remarkable. Born in a multigenerational Deaf family, Clara was born in Colombia and raised with sign language as the norm. Twenty of her family members are Deaf, including both her parents, her husband and her son. It's a legacy they carry proudly. “It’s our roots,” says Clara. “It’s who we are.” When she first came to the United States, Clara settled in New York knowing neither English nor American Sign Language. Her brother introduced her to his friend Alec, who needed a home health aide following a serious car accident. Alec, who is also deaf and a teacher at the Lexington School for the Deaf, began teaching her both ASL and English as they spent time together. The two learned from one another, and that experience became a defining chapter in Clara’s journey. “It was hard, but it was fulfilling,” says Clara. “Alec shaped my life.” Today, Clara’s son is also a graduate of Lexington and now teaches there - a full-circle moment that fills her with pride. “My mother didn’t have school or opportunities like this. For me and my son to receive an education and move forward, that’s what makes me proud.” When Clara moved from New York to Southern Ocean County, it was a culture shock. After realizing her first job wasn't for her, she joined the Hackensack Meridian Health team at a subacute rehab facility. It was there that she first crossed paths with Jessica, an ASL interpreter, who would be called in whenever Clara needed support with communication. Over the years, she became someone Clara could rely on, and she remains so today as the supervisor for Language Services. Eventually, Clara joined the Environmental Services team at Southern Ocean Medical Center. “It really is a family here,” she says. “People are so kind and they try to learn sign language. Even one word means so much. It shows so much respect to me.” Clara regularly visits patient rooms, where she finds ways to connect through gestures, expressions and body language. “I do everything I can to communicate and serve my patients,” says Clara. “I try to make my patients feel safe and show them I care.” She also uses Southern Ocean's video remote interpreting system, which connects her to an interpreter in seconds. “Before the VRI machines, it was easy to feel isolated,” Clara says. “Now, I can get an interpreter on the screen right away. It helps avoid confusion and makes me feel seen.” When asked what she wishes others understood about being Deaf, she smiles. “A Deaf person can do anything a hearing person can do - except hear, of course!” “I’m just so thankful to be here,” she says. “This medical center, the team members, the support. I love everyone. I feel accepted. I feel seen.” #PeopleofHMH

Improvement in outcomes for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is a medical tale of success for the 21st century. Tremendous advances in the understanding and treatment of childhood arthritis diseases, known collectively as Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), in the last 20 years has resulted in earlier and more precise use of many new and effective treatments, which have truly changed the lives of children with JIA. Dr. Yukiko Kimura, Division Chief of Pediatric Rheumatology at Hackensack Meridian Children's Health, Professor of Pediatrics at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, and researcher at the Center for Discovery and Innovation , is one of the lead authors of a new definitive review of JIA, which discusses its clinical manifestations, pathophysiology, optimal treatments and future opportunities for research, in the latest New England Journal of Medicine. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g3BAWiaM #juvenilearthritis #jia #science #research

Regina Foley, PhD, MBA, RN has held many positions, in many locations, across many teams in her more than 35 years with us, and she's made a difference in every one. Today, as our president of specialty hospitals and clinical services, she remains just as involved with our teams as when she began as a nurse at Ocean University Medical Center. “Nursing in our family was always a positive,” Regina says. Growing up, her mother was a nurse and raised Regina and her sister, Marie, with those values. “We grew up in an ‘I’m here to help’ mindset. That’s what motivates people to go into nursing: to be helpful, to reduce suffering. My mom did home care, and I saw how much she knew and how much she could help others. I knew the nursing path was for me.” The appreciation stuck with both sisters. Marie is now vice president and chief nursing officer at Ocean University Medical Center. Regina’s path hasn’t always been traditional. While big career changes may not be thought of as typical, she sees nurses as uniquely qualified to take them on. “I want to do right by our patients and their families and our team members. If I saw something that wasn’t right, I was quick to say, ‘Can I help with that? Can I do that?’” Her willingness and initiative helped her to learn and grow. As Regina took on a growing clinical responsibility, she began to see ways her team could collaborate with others, including operations. “I thought, why can’t we work together?” That mindset is how, after a multitude of leadership roles at Ocean University Medical Center, she took on the challenge of chief operating officer at Bayshore Medical Center. “When you're in a place for a while, you may feel like you can't go anywhere, but I knew I wanted to be challenged. Take advantage of opportunities, or be okay with not doing it,” she says. “Everybody has their own path, and mine has certainly had its turns. I take advantage of them. If you gain success and momentum from them, it opens things up.” It’s what has kept her inspired throughout her career at our network. “That's a differentiator for us. I’ve had the benefit of growing up here at HMH. We aspire to live the work,” she says “I do not feel good about saying something or asking for information or giving directions unless I feel I could do it myself, and I'm really appreciating it. Her role keeps growing, but the why behind her work has stayed the same. “The vast majority of patients we take care of at HMH, they’re our friends and family in the communities we serve. It’s about making sure we have access to care for the people we care about and want to do right by,” she says. “You're family to us. You come to us for care. We want to be there for you.” #PeopleofHMH