HEALTHCARE
Best Advice as Fall Season Begins : " Don ' t Forget Your Annual Physical "
Routine exams keep you fit
Compiled by Diane C . Walsh Contributing Editor
Healthcare workers became our heroes during the pandemic . Their courage and compassion touched us deeply . As we struggled through each wave of the pandemic , we sought their good counsel . Now as we go back to work from vacation or back to school , we are turning to trusted healthcare providers again .
Commerce Magazine talked to officials from leading hospitals and healthcare system in New Jersey to hear their recommendations as we start the fall with a new Covid variant spreading across the state and threats of the highly infectious monkeypox also . We also asked what are the most important issues they are facing and how they are coping .
said the pandemic scared many from entering healthcare . To turn the tide , she said Hackensack Meridian is actively recruiting from many schools and offering excellent internship programs . Hackensack Meridian ’ s network includes 18 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties , and more than 500 patients care locations , which includes ambulatory care centers , surgery centers , and home health services with more than 36,000 workers and 7,000 physicians .
“ We ’ re doing better than others at hiring and creating a great place to work because we have the bandwidth ,” she added . For instance , Hackensack Meridian collaborates with several universities in nursing and other allied health programs . Students do their clinical work at Hackensack Meridian facilities and Murphy
Deborah Visconi , President and CEO Bergen New Bridge Medical Center
The president of the state ’ s largest hospital with 1,070 beds said it appears the public has learned to protect itself against the Covid virus . “ We know an infectious disease is in the community and that it is dangerous and should be avoided . And we know how to deal with it ,” she said , stressing that vaccines , booster shots and therapies have enabled society to cope .
“ Now it ( Covid ) is just a part of life . We know it ’ s with us and it ’ s probably never going to go away forever ,” Visconi said . Since the Food and Drug Administration gave emergency authorization in June to administer Covid vaccines to children ages six months to 5 years old , Bergen New Bridge has been vaccinating youngsters . Visconi said she was surprised by the turnout but soon learned many pediatricians did not have access to the vaccines and parents were turning to facilities like hers .
The hospital executive expects there will be another spike in cases this fall , but she remains encouraged by the vaccines ’ and therapies ’ effectiveness in reducing hospitalizations and fatalities . Visconi emphasized that more 76 percent of the state ’ s populations has been vaccinated . “ It ’ s a great place to be that people are trusting the science ,” she said .
While the spread of monkeypox is being watched carefully in New Jersey , Visconi stressed the best protection is to be vigilante about your own health . Continue to see your primary
Deborah Visconi , President and CEO , Bergen New Bridge Medical Center
doctor and don ’ t delay an annual physical examination , she said . “ The more protected you are and the healthier you are , the more you can fight off a viral disease .”
This fall Bergen New Bridge will be expanding its behavioral health and addiction services . Additional programs will also be available at the Hope and Resiliency Center for Youth .
Audrey Murphy , Executive Vice President , Co-Chief Legal Officer , Chief Officer Team Member Health and Safety , Hackensack Meridian Health
Staffing shortages was identified by Murphy as a critical issue facing healthcare providers across the nation . Before the pandemic hit , hospitals were already struggling to fill openings . “ Now , it ’ s gotten worse and it ’ s not just nurses . It ’ s pharmacists , doctors , transporters , dieticians , everyone ,” she said .
An aging worker population and retirements affects every industry . But Murphy
Audrey Murphy , Executive Vice President , Co-Chief Legal Officer , Chief Officer Team Member Health and Safety , Hackensack Meridian Health
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