H E A LT H C A R E
Renderings of CMMC’s new medical office
and ICU addition, exterior and interior
34
MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE BACK TO SCHOOL 2016
I
t seems fitting that the leader of a hospital named for a
nurse was trained as a nurse herself – and is the only
female CEO of an acute care hospital in Essex County.
Dr. Mary Ellen Clyne, President and CEO of Clara
Maass Medical Center in Belleville, received her
masters degree in nursing from Seton Hall before ascending
the nursing administrative track at Overlook Hospital in
Summit. She’s held director-level positions at Overlook, the
General Hospital Center at Passaic and the Hospital Center
at Orange; at the latter, she helped create the New Jersey
Orthopedic Hospital. She arrived at Clara Maass, a community
hospital that is now part of the RWJBarnabas Health
system, in 1999, and rose to her current position in 2010.
“If Clara Maass doesn’t provide a service – for example,
stem cell transplants – and Barnabas Health doesn’t have
that in their cadre of services, RWJ in New Brunswick
does,” she says. “Patients can stay within the system.” And
Clara Maass’ Transitional Care Unit allows system-wide
patients who are medically stable to continue their recovery
in its sub-acute beds.
The medical center makes the diverse population it serves
comfortable in other ways, too, says Clyne. A new ICU unit to
be completed in 2017 will feature all private rooms and baths,
and have ample room for families to spend the night. And,
because “the only control a patient really has during his
hospital stay is in his dietary selections,” she says, the
workforce, which reflects the demographics of the community,
has created a popular Latino menu.
In keeping with the objectives of population health
management, Clara Maass’ vans make wellness visits at
senior centers, bingo halls, places of worship – anywhere
those 65 and over congregate. Nutritionists demonstrate
how to read labels. The Clara Cares program sends doctors
and nurse practitioners to do on-site wellness assessments
of the homebound elderly. “It’s cheaper for me to get you a
membership at the gym, make sure you exercise and eat
right, and help you take care of your feet,” says Clyne. ➤
CLYNE & RENDERINGS: COURTESY CLARA MAASS MEDICAL CENTER
DR. MARY ELLEN CLYNE, PRESIDENT AND CEO
OF CLARA MAASS MEDICAL CENTER