HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH DONOR IMPACT REPORT
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Advancing the Art and Science of Nursing The Sheila Cancro Institute for Nursing Leadership and Practice Excellence advances the mission of humanizing care through the art and science of nursing by providing infrastructure, support and advocacy for nurses as they advance their careers. For example, the Cancro Institute supports: J>Monthly lecture workshop series to help nurses transition to leadership roles. This initiative provides insight into the essential skills effective nurse leaders require, and focuses on various topics such as budgeting, performance, resilience and work/life balance, employment law and human resources, onboarding and interviewing, trust/conflict resolution and team building. J>New programs to expand mentorship and recruitment opportunities. This includes NSPIRE, an immersion apprenticeship program for new nursing school graduates, and the Nurse Leader Shadowing Immersion Program, which offers aspiring nurse leaders the opportunity to shadow an experienced nurse leader. In addition, the New Career Initiative provides scholarships to students enrolled in an accelerated and accredited degree program in exchange for a three-year commitment to work within Hackensack Meridian Health. The program helps address the critical and increasing nursing shortage, enabling us to retain outstanding nurses and continue providing exceptional patient care. We are grateful for our donors who have partnered with us in this important initiative.
Four-Legged Friends Help Carrier Clinic Clients Thanks to donor support, patients at Carrier Clinic are able to reap the benefits of equine therapy as part of their treatment plan. Interacting with horses allows patients to work through issues in a calm, safe and peaceful environment. Equine therapy patients gradually begin to interact and engage in introspection while working with the horses, and it provides an opportunity for a mental health professional to ask more personal or internalizing questions.
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I want them to know that this is a safe space. There are a lot of times when I’ve seen people change because of the horses. We are incredibly grateful to our donors who support this critical program.” —Mary Ann Brewer, therapeutic equine specialist
Claire Carter: A Leader in the Fight Against Pediatric Cancer As principal investigator in the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Laboratory at the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation, Claire L. Carter, Ph.D., assistant member of the Center for Discovery and Innovation, together with Derek Hanson, M.D., director of Pediatric Neuro-oncology at the Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health Children’s Cancer Institute, leads New Jersey’s first translational research program dedicated to finding cures for children with deadly brain tumors. Dr. Carter uses mass spectrometry imaging to produce highresolution images from patient biopsy samples. This mapping identifies specific pathways that can be targeted with different drugs, and enables clinicians to implement targeted therapies for each patient. Your compassionate giving has brought the knowledge and expertise of scientists like Dr. Carter directly to our patients. Thank you!
Social Determinants of Health: Barriers to Well-Being Social determinants of health, the non-medical factors which include housing, transportation, education disparities, among others, present significant challenges to people’s health. Through the generosity of our donors, the Social Determinants of Health program at Hackensack Meridian Health provides referrals for these issues that go beyond traditional medical services, such as food availability, housing, transportation, caregiver support and behavioral health treatment. By addressing these underlying barriers, we are improving outcomes and enhancing people’s quality of life.
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Our program is bridging the gap between being afraid and leading a healthy lifestyle. The magic of this program is providing assistance and empowering people to overcome these barriers to living a healthy life.” —Nicole Harris-Hollingsworth, EdD, MCHES, vice president, Social Determinants of Health, Population Health Administration
For example, Healthy Connections Meals, a medically tailored meals program, provides patients with nutritious food, and to date, has supplied more than 280 bags of food containing 3,080 healthy meals. A multilingual community health worker connects patients with supplemental food insecurity programs and other resources for ongoing assistance. Since the vast majority of patients face more than one social barrier to health, community health workers introduce patients to other sustaining programs, such Healthy Connections Medications, which connects uninsured patients with pharmacies for medications at reduced costs.
To learn more about how you can make an impact, email gratitude@hmhn.org.
Endowed Chairs Spur Advances on Key Issues Established in perpetuity, endowed chairs offer recognition to leading scholars and physicians, as well as the generous donors who funded them. These long-term investments ensure that both medical education and research receive support for generations, benefitting the patients of today and tomorrow. Hannah Lipman, M.D., vice president of Bioethics for Hackensack Meridian Health and a professor of Internal Medicine at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, was recently appointed the recipient of the Linda Farber Post Chair in Bioethics. We are grateful for the support of our donors!
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It is wonderful that the Posts’ gift secures the current place and future of bioethics at Hackensack Meridian Health. Being the inaugural holder of the Linda Farber Post Chair in Bioethics is a powerful recognition and appreciation of my work to further patient and family-centered care and to bring bioethics education to health professions students and faculty.” —Hannah I. Lipman, M.D., MS, HEC-C
Virtual Reality Aids in Substance Abuse Therapy Virtual reality, once largely associated with flight simulation and military training, is now being used to help patients with substance abuse disorders. Immersion applications bring the client to a realistic environment where they can process feelings, develop coping mechanisms, identify triggers and build skills necessary for relapse prevention. Virtual reality can also introduce clients to sober support services, such as 12 step programs.
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The virtual reality capability used in our behavioral health programs is a cutting-edge treatment. Being able to experience meditation on the beach or attend your first sober support meeting within the safety and comfort of a clinician’s office is so powerful. We are grateful for our family of supporters who have made this possible.” —Michele Scasserra, LCSW, LCADC, CCS director of Substance Use Counseling Services
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