On Wednesday afternoon, a Donor Recognition Ceremony was held in Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in support of the hospital’s new Geriatric Emergency Medicine (GEM) wing. The ceremony recognized several major donors for supporting this project.

Michael Mimoso, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer of Monmouth Medical Center, Southern Campus, greeted the large crowd in attendance and thanked everyone for coming to celebrate the Geriatric Emergency Medicine unit and those people who helped support it. He specifically paid tribute to donors: Robert Novy of Novy and Associates, Fred Van Loy-a member of the hospital’s board, TD Bank, and Thomas Calabro of Twin City Jewelers for supporting this important project. He noted that due to the contributions of donors the hospital has been able to build a state-of-the-art geriatric unit that provides highly specialized care to the aging patients. He related that the GEM unit is separate from the regular department to provide a quieter setting for the benefit of the aging patients.

“Nearly 22% of the population of Ocean County is 65 or older,” he said. “In 2014, our hospital treated 10,000 patients ages 65 or older, which accounted for 25,000 visits. This tells me that creating this unit was our duty and responsibility so that our aging patients receive the special care they deserve during their time of need.”

He also paid tribute to all the hospital’s volunteers and staff, saying; “We truly appreciate all the volunteers’ efforts, from the warm smiles you give to the vital help you provide your contributions are very important. The tireless efforts of the employees each day are we rank among the highest in New Jersey and across the country in satisfaction scores.”

Victor Almeida, DO, Chairman of Emergency Medicine at Monmouth Medical Center Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, said that Geriatric Emergency Departments are “something you’ll be seeing more of across the country.”

He continued: “In coming years, 10,000 people a day will be turning age 65. With all the patients that will be coming in to the hospital, that clinical care needs to be delivered in a different way. Having a Geriatric Emergency Department is one of the facets in how to deliver that care.

“What makes the department different than the main wing? It’s a quiet environment. As patients are getting older, being in the main emergency department can be overwhelming, over-stimulating, and sometimes not a pleasant environment. Here it is quieter. The lighting is more subdued to calm a patient. The bed is designed with an air mattress meant to be more comforting for a patient who is older. The bed is lower so it’s easier to get in and out. The floor is slip resistant. And the nurses we have here have specialized training for geriatric patients. We also have a social worker and pharmacy component. The pharmacy component is very important because one of the most common reasons older patients return to the emergency department is because of drug-drug interaction….The goal is to have a team of people serving the patients’ needs. Our goal is to get you to the next level of care.”

Robert Novy, Esq., one of the donors recognized at the event and a trustee of the hospital’s foundation, related that as a lawyer specializing in elder care he sees that everyone wants the opportunity to “age in place”.

He explained, “If the GEM unit can help us be in and out of here as quickly as possible and have the geriatric follow-up with caring, compassionate trained people who can follow them and keep them out of the hospital the quality of life will be better economically and socially and it’ll be a more meaningful experience for you and your loved ones.”

Frank J. Vozos, MD, FACS, President and Chief Executive Officer of Monmouth Medical Center, concluded the program by saying, “I too want to thank all the donors and those who work here every day to make this hospital what it has been over the years and what it’s going to be going forward. I think this unit really represents what the philosophy was behind our merger, which was integrating the strengths of Monmouth Medical Center North with the strengths of this hospital here in Lakewood. Our GEM unit up in Monmouth has been very successful, and we’ll probably be even more successful in this location as the senior population here is far greater than it is in the Monmouth area. You take the strengths of the two hospitals and bring them together and this will really create a great unit that will be asset to the community.”

[TLS – Provided by the Lakewood Shopper]

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