(201) Health 2018 Edition | Page 24

NEWSWORTHY

GROWING ITSHEALTHPHYSICIAN NETWORK

MDPartners , Englewood Hospital ’ saffiliated physician net- work , relies onarobust base ofmore than 130 primary care physicians , including internal medicine and family medicine practitioners , who “ wear many hats and serve not only as the place to go when you are sick , but more importantly , the place to go when you are well ,” says network president Dr . Stephen Brunnquell . The network has nearly 400 providers inmore than 75 locations , spanning six counties in northern New Jersey and Rockland County .“ From the network ’ sinception , our goal was to partner with our physicians to bring care to the community ,” says Michael Pietrowicz ,

WORKING TOGETHER The team at the Joseph M . SanzariChildren ’ s HospitalatHackensackMeridian Health Hackensack University Medical Center is workingtofind acurefor childhood leukemia with the launchof its pediatric oncologyimmunotherapyprogram .

TACKLING THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC

As the government continues to seek solutions to the country ’ s escalating opioid crisis , acongressional subcommittee is taking aclose look at St . Joseph ’ sALTOprogram . The program is credited with decreasing opioid prescriptions in the hospital ’ s emergency department by 82 percent in the two years since itbegan . Dr . Mark Rosenberg , chairman of emergency medicine and chief innovations officer , was invited to share its success before acongressional subcommittee considering more than 25 bills toaddress the national epidemic . One of the bills , titled “ The Alternatives to Opioids in the

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Englewood Hospital and Medical Center ’ schief strategy officer .“ What better way to do that than to have locations that are in close proximity to our patients ’ homes and offices ?” In addition to easy access , the network makes providers available at hours well beyond the usual 9-to-5 workday . Toensure seamless continuity , the network and hospital recently made ahigh-tech switch toEpic tofully integrate patient medical records across the Englewood system .

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Emergency Department Act ,” introduced by New Jersey legislators Cory Booker and Bill Pascrell , together with representatives from West Virginia and Georgia , features the original protocols established at St . Joe ’ sin2016 . If approved , itwould earmark funds for the expansion of the hospital ’ sALTOprogram across the country . “ It ’ sexciting to share the program with every state , and Iamproud they are considering us as the standard for opioid prescription reduction ,” says Rosenberg .

ADVANCING TOWARD ACURE FOR PEDIATRIC LEUKEMIA

Children with arare form of leukemia soon will have another weapon inthe fight . In acollaborative program with Novartis Pharmaceuticals , the Joseph M . Sanzari Children ’ sHospital at Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack University Medical Center will launch apediatric oncology immunotherapy program

ANETWORK THAT CARES MDPartners , Englewood Hospital ’ saffiliatedphysician network , comprisesdoctors from many different specialties whooften collaboratewith each othertooffer patients integrated care .

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HACKENSACK for children and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia . Calling it “ a major advance in the search for a cure for childhood leukemia ,” Dr . Alfred P . Gillio , co-director of the Children ’ sCancer Institute and section chief of pediatric blood and marrow transplantation , explains “ this therapy has resulted inlong-term remissions in the majority of patients treated todate .” Itisthe first such protocol approved by the FDA to treat children and young adults who have achallenging form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia . This new approach involves engineering a patient ’ s own immune cells to recognize and attack cancer .

REDUCING THE RISK OF OPIOD OVERDOSES Dr . Mark Rosenberg ( shown left ), stands with Rep . Bill Pascrell after sharing the success of the medicalcenter ’ sALTOprogram with acongressional subcommittee .

COURTESY OFHACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER ; ENGLEWOOD HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CENTER & ST . JOSEPH ’ SUNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

22 2018 EDITION |( 201 ) HEALTH