WINTER 2018
DESIGNING A FACILITY AND A PROGRAM FOR TODAY’S CANCER PATIENTS PG 4 also inside: Legacy Challenge Met | Adult Wishes Granted | Hope Boxed and Delivered
SPOTLIGHT ON CHILD LIFE The number of Child Life programs has doubled since 1965 no doubt because physicians and nurses alike consider it an integral component of multidisciplinary care. Child Life helps children cope with illness through play, preparation, education and self-expression activities. It has bolstered favorable outcomes in pediatric patients, confirming it to be an essential piece of the healing process. The eight beds recently added to the existing 26-bed pediatric inpatient unit at Goryeb Children’s Hospital have strained our staff of five child life specialists. The need for a sixth will be even more evident when the Joan and Edward Foley Pediatric Intensive Care Unit is expanded. To offer your support for the additional child life specialist or to learn more about the Child Life Program, contact Geraldine Kling, major gifts officer, at 973-593-2414 or geraldine.kling@atlantichealth.org
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Q&A with Kristin Holtzman
Child Life Specialist, Goryeb Children’s Hospital
The Child Life Program began at Goryeb nearly two decades ago to help children and their families strengthen their coping skills and, ultimately, reduce their emotional stress during a child’s hospital stay. Our certified child life specialists are child development experts who work to make sure life remains as normal as possible for pediatric patients by providing developmental, therapeutic, and educational interventions along with music therapy, tutoring and playroom activities. Q: What are the benefits of incorporating
When parents and siblings get involved —
in to visit a parent or grandparent who may
play into the daily routine of a child who
helping patients with deep breathing tech-
be critically ill. In this case, education and
is hospitalized?
niques and distraction strategies, such as
preparation are key in helping the
music and games — they gain more control
children manage the experiences they
of the situation and create a more pleasant
could be facing.
A: P lay is an essential part of child development and extremely beneficial to a child in the
experience for the patient. In doing so, they
hospital. Through play, children are better
also develop their own coping skills and learn
able to cope with and understand the hospital
how best to navigate a difficult experience.
help to contain costs by reducing the
experience. Therapeutic play, such as using
Siblings and parents also benefit from hearing
length of stay and decreasing the need
toy medical equipment on a doll or painting
the child life specialist explain the procedures
for medication. Can you explain why?
with needleless syringes, helps a child gain
and tests that the child is about to undergo
a sense of control in an unfamiliar environ-
in a way that is developmentally suited to the
ment by helping them process what they are
patient’s age.
A: C hild Life specialists are trained to provide evidence-based interventions for a wide span of developmental levels. Interventions,
experiencing. Recreational activities, such as playing board games, throwing a football or
Q: Studies show that Child Life programs
Q: A re there additional services provided
including education and preparation as well
having a dance party, can help create a sense
to patients outside of Goryeb Children’s
as distraction and support, are designed to
of normalcy for a hospitalized child.
Hospital?
reduce stress and anxiety, as well as fear and pain. When these interventions are
Q: The anxiety of parents and siblings is
A: Y es, for example, if an adult patient comes
used, studies show that children are up and
often felt by the child receiving treatment.
to the Sameth Emergency Department
moving faster, require less medication and
How can this unhealthy dynamic
and there are children involved, a child life
are able to cope more effectively with tests
be circumvented?
specialist touches base with the family to
and procedures.
help provide support and education where A: W e practice family-centered care and involve
needed. We occasionally get called to work
each family member in the care of their loved
alongside social workers to help children
one, which helps reduce anxiety all around.
understand what to expect when they come
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CAROL G. SIMON CANCER CENTER A Rich Legacy Step back several decades to when William E. Simon and his wife, Carol, were volunteers at Morristown Medical Center with their sleeves rolled up, engaged in one project after another. As visionaries, they saw potential everywhere. Nowhere was this clearer than when the doors of Carol G. Simon Cancer Center opened in 1998. “The hospital was a special place for my parents,” says J. Peter Simon, trustee emeritus and former chairman of the Foundation’s board of trustees. “My siblings and I cherish the legacy they left for us to follow.” One major cornerstone of the Simon Cancer Center has been its meticulous focus on patient-centered care. Through the generosity of engaged donors, that attention has grown to include integrative medicine specialists, music therapists, nurse navigators, concierge services, social workers, dieticians, palliative care providers and genetic counselors. “There’s also our long-standing partnerships and traditions with like-minded agencies on prevention and screening,” says Lydia Nadeau, RN, MBA, director, Oncology Service Line, Atlantic Health System. “Whether it’s the MD Anderson Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial or our breast cancer prevention programs, we’ve built our reputation on our network of experts and our numerous collaborations.”
A Changing Landscape But the cancer center is busier than it was 20 years ago. Each year, over 3,000 new cancer patients are diagnosed or receive their first course of treatment here, with many others coming for second opinion consultations. Outpatient visits, which total 113,000 annually, are expected to skyrocket as an aging population continues to drive demand. What’s more, the complexity of care has increased, with a greater understanding of various causes of cancer and new ways of treating it. For example, the Leonard B. Kahn Head and Neck Cancer Institute has created a special program to treat cancers caused by human papillomavirus infection. In addition, new advances have been made with genetically selective “targeted” therapies and
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A rendering of the new first floor lobby
immunotherapies, which stimulate a patient’s own immune system to recognize and kill the cancer. With these changes, we must renovate our four-story, 80,000 sq. ft. building to continue to provide the exceptional care our patients have come to expect. “We have to design a building that more accurately reflects the flow of patient care for people with cancer today,” says Medical Director Eric D. Whitman, MD. “It involves more support services for people while they’re being diagnosed, as they’re being treated and, afterward, into survivorship. Our building has to make it easier and more comforting for patients and their families during their cancer care journey.”
Form Follows Function How would this new cancer center look? Stepping through an easier-to-navigate entrance, patients would find one centralized registration area. With the adoption of the Epic integrated medical record system, every member of the medical team will have secure access to patient files at the click of a button. As Ms. Nadeau says, “EPIC helps close the communication gap” — a welcome advancement for patients who grew weary repeating their health histories at every step of care.
Many of the supportive care services, such as social work, integrative therapy, dieticians and the volunteer offices, will remain on level one, as will the Aresty Radiation Therapy Center and the Kahn Head and Neck Cancer Institute. But this level will also house ancillary lab testing, a fasttrack area for patients to receive port flushes and injections, a drop-off and pick-up area for radiology images, and a dispensing pharmacy. The addition of more blood drawing stations will allow testing to get underway sooner in a patient’s visit to the center and place results in doctors’ hands much faster. Down the line, blood tests could also be a game-changing development in early cancer detection. Although still in the experimental stage, the method of using liquid biopsies — simple blood tests — to detect cancers holds great promise, Dr. Whitman explains, “because cancers could potentially be diagnosed before they spread and could, therefore, be easier to cure. Liquid biopsies may also help identify if the cancer is about to recur.” On the second level, Ms. Nadeau says, “spaces will be reconfigured to support multidisciplinary clinics where multiple physicians and specialists can see patients at the same time — that’s our vision.” This model promotes clinical collaboration and improves efficiency of care for patients.
The third level is actually where construction will begin first in 2018. Crews will build a larger more relaxing infusion center with 36 cleverly designed bays. This area will include an enlarged and updated chemotherapy pharmacy and other features like Cold Cap Therapy, designed to reduce chemotherapy-related hair loss. “We’ve spent the most time in perfecting the infusion center design, speaking repeatedly with patients, nurses, advocacy groups, and physicians,” says Dr. Whitman. “During treatment, that’s where many patients spend the most time, and it is crucial for us to create the safest, most healing environment possible.” On the fourth level, the recently redone Rippel Breast Center, the research and registry teams, and N.J. Thoracic Surgery Associates will remain, joined by Atlantic Breast Associates, which will move next to the breast center. The remainder of the space will be built out for administrative offices and conference space.
At the Vanguard The renovated building is one component of a far-reaching vision: “We want our patients to have local access to the latest and greatest drugs both after FDA approval and while they’re in development,” says Dr. Whitman. “We want to be involved in the latest research with new cancer therapies, so we’ve recruited top specialists from the country’s leading academic centers who are involved in some of the most exciting research going on in the cancer world.” The new faculty is leading research that includes groundbreaking treatments for pancreatic cancer, pioneering work on leukemia and lymphoma drugs and promising trials for head and neck cancers. These experts augment an already robust and exceptional team of
specialists at the cancer center. Dr. Whitman is also actively engaged in developing partnerships with internationally recognized facilities with the specific intent of expanding the center’s cancer research program. “It’s personal for us,” he says, and adds a comment from his new colleague Dr. Angela Alistar, an internationally respected pancreatic cancer expert. “We’re here to fight cancer, and we’re here to win.” To learn more, please contact Lisa Duff at the Foundation at 973-593-2405 or lisa. duff@atlantichealth.org.
“Restructuring sections of the interior of the center with muted wood tones and abundant natural lighting is also on the docket and will lend itself to a healing environment that is appealing and patient-centered,” says Ms. Nadeau. “Patients are with us for a long time – from diagnosis, through treatment and then on to survivorship,” she adds. “Our intent is not to add to their stress with a building that is out-ofdate, but rather to make it as easy as possible for them.”
Renderings of the registration area, right, and the infusion center, below
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JOAN CR EGAN
Alongside approximately 150 men, five women received accounting degrees at Queens College, City University of New York, in May 1965. Joan Cregan was one of them. “All of the women I knew were getting nursing and teaching degrees,” says Mrs. Cregan, who has relished spending 32 years as a financial professional for Prudential.
Sal Benedetto
“ Oftentimes, widows aren’t fully aware of their estate plans because their husbands took care of the financial end of things.”
It’s simply her calling. “I remember waking up when our kids were young and saying to my husband, ‘You have no insurance policy on me.’ I told him, if I died, he would need a policy that would help to take care of the kids. So we got one,” she says. “He hadn’t thought of it. I remember right then making it my goal to help educate women with young families on their financial needs.” Now retired, the 73-year-old Brookfield Legacy Society Advisory Council member has shifted her focus to helping older women understand their financial portfolios better. This coming spring, she will be leading “Coffee with Joan” talks to give women who are perhaps beginning their golden years – some widowed like she is – a chance to review and update their estate plans. “Oftentimes, widows aren’t fully aware of their estate plans because their husbands took care of the financial end of things,” says Mrs. Cregan. “I’m mainly expressing to them my lifetime of financial experience and helping them from wherever they are currently,” she says. “It’s important to review what you have accomplished over your financial lifetime and see if you could save more on taxes with proper planning, for example.” Mrs. Cregan is looking forward to the new challenge because, next to being numbers savvy, she loves working with people. “I feel somewhat outgoing, am friendly and like to help others,” she says. In fact, her schedule rivals that of someone half her age. Golf, bridge, deep water aerobics, a body flow class that combines tai chi and Pilates with yoga, two book clubs, poker night and weekly mahjong game night fill her calendar, along with a nightly call to her 96-year-old mom who lives independently in the Bronx. She also regularly sees her three children and eight grandchildren,
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Joan Cregan
attends their sports games, babysits for them and enjoys dinners together. While most people would be grabbing a nap in between this frenetic activity, Mrs. Cregan is conquering the next item on her to-do list. She regularly volunteers at the Foundation, thanking donors for their support, inviting them to events and cultivating new members into the Brookfield Legacy Society. Last spring, she squeezed in volunteering as a docent at the Women’s Association’s 18th Mansion in May at The Abbey. “I’m planning on moving to Morristown, and I thought it would be a nice way to meet new friends,” says Mrs. Cregan, who describes herself as the ultimate optimist. “I know I’m very lucky. I have my mom, my kids, my grandkids – and a great volunteer job.”
On October 4, 2017, the Foundation recognized one of its most generous physician groups, Anesthesia Associates (AA), by dedicating the new surgical waiting room in Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute in the group’s name. The event recognized the physicians’ $1 million Campaign 3SIXTY gift; they have given $2.3 million to clinical areas across the hospital. Pictured right: (l-r) AA physician and Foundation Trustee Dr. Guy Taylor, Hospital President Trish O’Keefe, AA President Dr. Walter Lewis, Foundation Chief Development Officer Jim Quinn and Foundation Board Chair Finn Wentworth.
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OUR TOP DOCS
PARTNERS IN PHILANTHROPY
Becky Bedrosian
The elegant Mansion at Natirar set the scene December 6, 2017, for the third Foundation partners reception. The convivial event, hosted this year by Foundation Trustee Bill Conger and his wife, Nancy, and Foundation Treasurer Joe Graff and his wife, Diane, thanks physicians and other hospital leaders who help with philanthropy.
Becky Bedrosian
Pictured left: (l-r) Joe Graff, Board Chair Finn Wentworth, and the Congers
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ACCELERATED LEARNING
CANCER CARE’S FUTURE
In a ‘speed dating’ format, attendees at MedTalks moved from session to session, learning about the latest hospital innovations and posing questions of their own. Held October 12, 2017, at the Spring Brook Country Club, the event covered scoliosis and spinal deformity, amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome, severe aortic stenosis, sleep disorders, and telemedicine in transit. Pictured: Donor Howard Lerner tries his hand at spinal surgery
Anyone expecting a staid program of long speeches didn’t find it at this donor event on September 19, 2017, at the Park Avenue Club. Lydia Nadeau, oncology service line director, did share plans for the renovation of Carol G. Simon Cancer Center with the 61 attendees, and Dr. Eric Whitman (pictured), medical director of Atlantic Health System Cancer Care, did run through the impressive credentials of his physician team. But a lighthearted Q&A, which asked such questions as what advice would you give to your 20-year-old self and what talent would you most like to have, paved the way for warm conversations between donors and doctors afterward.
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code of CONDUCT For generations, the Christie family has been about giving back and giving big, a practice they’ve continued with a generous $500,000 gift to Morristown Medical Center.
“Our parents
Kathleen E. Christie and her
taught my brother,
established The Christie Family
sister and me the
Research and Education. The
concept of giving
the chairman of orthopedics
back by their
initiatives that have the promise
strong example.”
innovation and competitiveness in
— Kathleen E. Christie
parents, Stuart and Shelia, recently Endowment for Orthopedic new endowment fund provides the support needed to invest in of increasing the department’s education and research. “Our parents taught my brother, Pictured (l-r) Stuart, Shelia and Kathleen Christie
sister and me the concept of giving
back by their strong example of always being involved in their church and other charitable endeavors throughout our entire childhood,” says Ms. Christie. “They are still a great example to us and are now in their late 80s.” Ms. Christie has undergone four orthopedic surgeries at Morristown Medical Center, “performed successfully by four different talented doctors,” she says. “It’s where I learned the value of investing in medical research.”
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TOOLS OF THE TRADE Believe it or not, liver disease can strike children in more than 100 variations. The common symptoms of fatigue, stomach pain, nausea, and loss of appetite take its toll on children of all ages as do the painful liver biopsies that are often needed for diagnosis and monitoring of the disease along the way. But the latter just got a whole lot easier with the purchase of a new imaging device called the FibroScan®, which can offer a painless alternative to those liver biopsies. The following donors collectively gave $115,000 to purchase the device: Marc and Lori Bortniker/Robin’s Closet LLC Brueckner Family Foundation Tina and Richard V. Carolan Foundation Joe and Marge Goryeb Charitable Fund Rick and Leslie Goryeb
Catrina LaRosa Personal Property Consultants Inc. The Provident Bank Foundation John and Carlene Pruitt
“What’s even better is that this test can be done in the office setting; it’s quick and doesn’t require any sedation or anesthesia, which is a big plus for our kids and their families,” says Nadia Ovchinsky, MD, MBA, a pediatric liver specialist at Goryeb Children’s Hospital. Goryeb is the first children’s hospital in New Jersey and one of only 13 pediatric centers in the country to offer this technology.
NEW F4MMC TRUSTEES
Marc Adee CEO, Crum & Forster
Lori Barer Ingber, PhD President and Founder, Parent Match
Keith J. Richardson COO, Shelter Haven Capital Management, LP
W. Rodman Ryan Chairman and CEO, Open Road Auto Group
Keerti Sharma, MD Director, Inpatient Geriatric Services and Director, Geriatric Assessment Center, Morristown Medical Center
David L. Taylor, MD, FACS Urologic Surgeon President, Garden State Urology
Eric D. Whitman, MD, FACS
UP FOR THE CHALLENGE Myra Brookfield’s decision to bequeath her home to build a hospital launched a century-and-a-quarter of community giving to Morristown Medical Center. Her visionary support was honored during our 125th anniversary year with our first Legacy Challenge. The challenge spurred 25 new planned gifts with an additional $125,000 allotted to various clinical areas. Here’s how it worked: Donors who made a planned gift were able to choose an area at the hospital to receive $5,000 from a pool of undesignated Foundation funds. Clinical areas receiving these funds ranged from rehabilitation and maternity to nursing and pediatrics. Donor Andrew Bruen made his second planned gift — this time through his 401k— as part of the challenge. “I went to my employer’s benefits page, added the hospital as a beneficiary, selected the percentage and printed the form to sign. It was that easy,” he says. Interested in making a planned gift? Contact Director of Gift Planning Cynthia O’Donnell, JD, at cynthia.odonnell@atlantichealth.org or 973-593-2418.
Medical Director, Atlantic Health System Cancer Care
HONORARY TRUSTEES
Robert and Susan Sameth Mr. Sameth, retired president, Western Industries Mrs. Sameth, EMT, New Vernon First Aid Squad
TRUSTEE EMERITA
Leigh Simon Porges Philanthropist and community volunteer
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A DYNAMIC LIFE “In perpetual motion” is how Mitchell and Nicholas Danzis describe their late mom Jo-Ann, and the recent Cork & Fork for a Cause held in her honor was just as lively as the person it sought to remember. Held at the Morris Museum this past fall, the walk-around tasting of fine food and wine, along with a silent auction and wine pull, raised approximately $45,000 for pancreatic research at Carol G. Simon Cancer Center. Jo-Ann Danzis was a patient at the Simon Center while battling stage four pancreatic cancer. “Only 5’2” and living almost 74 years, she may have been short in stature and shorted in years, but she was very long in life,” says Mitchell, who serves as president of the Jo-Ann Danzis Foundation. Pictured above: Cork & Fork for a Cause at the Morris Museum
those that
MATTER MOST
Wanting to help kids when they are at their most vulnerable, The Dorothy B. Hersh Foundation had to look no further than Goryeb Children’s Hospital. The Foundation gave $500,000 to help expand
JETS TACKLE GIVING
the Joan and Edward Foley Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).
The New York Jets didn’t have to throw a football to score major points with Morristown Medical Center. They simply gave proceeds to research and renovation projects at the hospital from two fundraisers and then gave another $5,000 toward holiday gifts for the Valerie Fund Children’s Center at Goryeb Children’s Hospital.
The Dorothy B. Hersh Foundation North Wing – a space that encompasses
The August 2017 New York Jets Golf Classic drew more than 100 golfers to the Morris County Golf Club despite a torrential downpour, raising $65,000 for the Pediatric Bone Health Fund for Research. Another $5,000 went toward the renovation of the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center after 300 runners participated in an October 5K fundraiser at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Facility in Florham Park, last October.
winter flu peak seasons for the past few years. The expansion will allow the
Pictured above: Rainy but successful Jets Golf Classic
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the main patient corridor within the PICU – will be named in recognition of the gift. The PICU has been operating close to or at 100 percent capacity during second floor of Goryeb to be reconfigured to create a larger PICU, adding an additional six beds to the now nine-bed unit. “Goryeb has made an impact on thousands of children’s lives over the years,” says Harriet L. Donnelly, administrator for The Dorothy B. Hersh Foundation. “The work that Goryeb does reaches a diverse group of recipients and is a perfect showcase for displaying our foundation’s mission.”
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SUDDEN FUN
Pictured above: (l-r) Chase Giunta, Julia Malone, Taylor Holtzman
BATTER UP A team of children cooked up a great concept for a television pilot that aired recently on the Women’s Association’s Channel 65 Calling All Kids Storytime Network. Kids4Kids, the Foundation’s youth philanthropy group, came up with the idea and the funding for “Calling All Kids in the Kitchen,” a cooking show designed to appeal to patients at Goryeb Children’s Hospital. The interactive, partially animated show features three in-studio child hosts, who bake and decorate cupcakes. While patients watch the show, child life specialists equip them with cupcakes and cups of sprinkles to do their own decorating.
Black River Middle Schoolers in Chester wanted to cheer up kids who are hospitalized for long stays. Now patients at Goryeb Children’s Hospital are having so much fun, they don’t want to leave without making their own lava lamp or ball of slime. The 7th graders raised $1,400 and made a STEM 4 THEM cart with projects that promote creative thinking within a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) curriculum. “Me and my friends, we all like to make a mess, so we included the projects that are the messiest and most fun for us,” says student Scarlet Kitts. Their team is part of Destination Imagination, a global nonprofit that teaches STEM principles to public school students. Pictured above: (l-r) Chiara and Francesca Rosato
Producer and creative director Suzanne Ruffo, a WAMMC volunteer, says, “It’s a little different from what Child Life usually does. It takes it to the next level.” Mrs. Ruffo is ready to shoot other food-related productions if the pilot is a success. “I love kids – that’s been my drive.”
THE NEW HEALTHY Can a health care system initiate a paradigm shift in what it means to be healthy? That’s the plan behind the dispatching of a community health worker into a Morristown neighborhood with an unusually high rate of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Thanks to a $150,000 grant from the Leonard B. Kahn Foundation, a $50,000 grant from the Willits Foundation and $20,000 from The Rothman Family Foundation, more than 100 patients from that neighborhood will soon be enrolled in a new Population Health pilot program designed to reduce their health risks. The community health worker will help patients navigate the health system and offer disease management strategies, behavior modification tips and informal psychosocial support. Functioning as a liaison between the hospital and the community, the health worker will strive to effect change at a grass roots level. “The goal is to find new ways that will cultivate healthier communities while at the same time driving health care costs down,” says Chris Kirk, director of community engagement and health improvement at Atlantic Health System.
EVERY DAY COUNTS When a child faces chronic disease or life-limiting conditions, finding daily joy and comfort is monumental. A recent $1,000 grant from Liam’s Room, Inc. helped three Goryeb Children’s Hospital nurses extend their knowledge of pediatric palliative care practices, including learning new techniques that help improve quality of life for seriously ill children. Representing Goryeb at a one-day conference organized by the Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition were RNs Janine Ruppert, Jennifer O’Neill, and Sarah Helm. “It’s a balancing of treatment with comfort,” says Ms. O’Neill, who works in pediatric critical care. Liam’s Room, Inc. was founded by Lisa and Peter McNamara, in memory of their son who lost his life to an incurable neurological disorder. An earlier donation created a pediatric palliative care room (pictured above) that has the look and feel of a child’s bedroom to help seriously ill patients and their families feel more at home during extended hospital stays.
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moments
THAT MATTER Remember blowing on dandelions to make wishes come true? At Carol G. Simon Cancer Center, Paulie’s Gift Fund is bringing dreams alive for real. Several patients each year will have the opportunity to be part of this adult wish-granting program.
JUST LIKE YOU When Carl and Dana Antisell said no to gifts and asked their wedding guests to give instead to pancreatic cancer research, they were thrilled when nearly $6,000 was raised for the cause. The donation went toward research being led by Angela Alistar, MD, at Carol G. Simon Cancer Center. Dr. Alistar had treated the bride’s late father, Charles “Butch” Douthit, for pancreatic cancer and was able to extend his life. “I didn’t realize until after my dad’s death how much he had shaped my life,” says Mrs. Antisell, a social worker who runs a program that gives teens within the juvenile justice system a second chance. “I grew up watching him always giving to those in need.” Pictured above: Carl and Dana Antisell
Pam Merola, a melanoma patient whose cancer has metastasized to her brain, can’t stop talking about an art therapy class she took while on a weekend retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. “I came away feeling so invigorated,” says the Scotch Plains resident. “I called it my Omega high, and it lasted a good long time.” Another wish recipient took his three young girls to Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos, while yet another was treated to a spa session before surprising her cousin for a week-long visit in Arizona. Paulie’s Gift Fund honors the late Paul Piccoli who lost his life to cancer at age 44. Interested in donating to the fund? Contact Annual Giving Director Joette Rosato at joette.rosato@atlantichealth.org or 973-593-2412. Pictured above: Patient Pam Merola and her art therapy project
SAM’S LEGACY At the Villa Restaurant Group’s 16th Annual Charity Golf Event, every swing helped at-risk newborns. Held at Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club in Bedminster Township, the event raised $40,000 for SAM’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), named for the late Samantha Marie Salzberg. “In 1987, the NICU didn’t have the capabilities to provide treatment for my daughter, but now it provides care for the highest risk babies in the metropolitan area,” says Steve Salzberg, who, with his wife, Doris, pledged $1.5 million to the campaign that helped build the NICU in 2008. Pictured above: (l-r) Villa CEO Anthony Scotto, Steve Salzberg, event organizer Lori Orrico, Villa COO Andrew Steinberg, Doris Salzberg and Villa President Ben Scotto
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AN INFECTIOUS INVESTMENT The late Ronald A. Poeter often spoke of the exceptional care he received as a patient at the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center. It’s no wonder that he planned a $100,000 bequest for the Oncology Patient Support Fund because, for him, caring had become contagious. The fund helps cancer patients cover the cost of such things as transportation to and from appointments, groceries and rent, since extended hospital stays often throw many off course financially. Mr. Poeter wanted to help other cancer patients focus on getting better, which often happens quicker once anxiety over unpaid bills is alleviated. “A bequest like the one Mr. Poeter established can be added to your will or trust at any time during your life to ensure that your legacy lives on in the places that matter most to you,” says Cynthia O’Donnell, JD, director of gift planning at the Foundation. For more information, please contact Cynthia O’Donnell at 973-593-2418 or cynthia.odonnell@atlantichealth.org.
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BECAUSE WE CARE Community fellowship is comforting during trying times. It’s why Chaplain Pearl Lebovic and her family found great meaning in the opening of Tzipi’s Bikur Cholim room with their recent generous gift to the hospital. The late Tziporah Hirsch was Mrs. Lebovic’s aunt, a Holocaust survivor whose life personified bikur cholim, which means visiting the sick and attending to their needs. Those of the Jewish faith who are visiting the hospital or employees who need a place to pray, observe the Sabbath or eat a kosher meal are all welcome here. “It’s something a cafeteria can’t do,” says Mrs. Lebovic, who sets the room’s small table for Sabbath every Friday with a white tablecloth, candles and fresh challah. Pictured above: Chaplains Pearl and Henry Lebovic
SUNNY SIDE UP When a patient is admitted to the psychiatric unit of the Sameth Emergency Department, their anxiety is often high, but now some new light is being shed on the situation – literally. Three artificial skylights have fostered a remarkable sense of peace. Longtime donors Eileen Matt, Chuck and Toni Tschampion, Bob and Francine Shaw, Bob and Deb Conte, and Nick and Lauri Rizzo all contributed to the purchase of the skylights, which mimic daylight and offer an added visual of clouds, trees and blue skies, around the clock. “The skylights provide an ambiance that can help assist with the management of depression and anxiety,” says ED Nurse Manager Patty Primmer, RN. Patients have been better able to relax and re-focus while waiting for a bed to open in the hospital’s Head Family Inpatient Psychiatric and Behavioral Health Center.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T Being a nurse at Morristown Medical Center for 46 years has been a dream come true for Barbara Markt, RN, but having the opportunity to donate $2,000 toward the nursing innovation fund put this 65-year-old Morristown resident on cloud nine. “The fund, no doubt, shows a great amount of confidence by everyone at the hospital on how nursing is viewed as a key part of the big picture,” says Mrs. Markt, a staff educator on the Inpatient Oncology/Hematology Unit. “Morristown has always been a nurse’s hospital,” she adds. “Nurses have a different power here and a greater piece of the decision-making process than what my colleagues experience elsewhere.”
“I hear comments on a daily basis of how patients love the outdoor feel,” says Mrs. Primmer. f4mmc.org
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Jack Stack of Wanaque delivered “Hope in a Box� for 100 pediatric patients with diabetes.
A SELECTION OF ANNUAL FUNDING PRIORITIES
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
ONCOLOGY
Support Services in the Psychiatric Emergency Department $30,000
Innovation Research: Pancreatic Cancer $115,000 (part-time associate for three years)
In New Jersey, a growing number of patients require inpatient psychiatric hospitalization yet there are fewer psychiatric beds available. This disparity has resulted in an increased length of stay in the emergency department (ED) for individuals awaiting inpatient psychiatric placement. We have found that one of the most useful techniques used in the psychiatric ED setting is art therapy. This therapy works in tandem with traditional medical treatment to improve a patient’s physical, mental and emotional well-being. We now have a full-time art therapist providing these services during the work week and are currently seeking funds for a per diem art therapist in the psychiatric emergency department for the weekend shifts.
A research associate is needed to support the work of our national expert Angela Alistar, MD, who is initiating a study of the characteristics of bacteria (gut flora) and its relationship to the survival of pancreatic cancer. There has been a great deal of interest regarding the gene– environment interactions that underlie cancer susceptibility and progression. Yet we have limited knowledge of which environmental factors are important and how they function during the formation of tumors. Human microbiome studies have revealed significant differences in the relative abundance of certain microbes in cancer cases compared with controls. Dr. Alistar, the medical director of GI/Pancreatic Medical Oncology, will be leading this three-year study.
CARDIOLOGY
PEDIATRICS
Inpatient Cardiac Rehab | $351,000 (over three years)
Social Skills Program for Children with Autism | $60,000
A full-time inpatient cardiac rehab nurse or exercise physiologist will support and work with patients in our Cardiac Intensive Care and Cardiac Post Anesthesia Care units so they can begin cardiac rehab as early as possible to facilitate a smoother recovery and quicker discharge.
This structured program combines classroom learning with community field trips to help children with autism develop the skills needed to function safely and appropriately in a variety of public settings. The overarching goal is to provide learn-by-doing experiences to help these children achieve their greatest potential and to serve as a vital family resource.
GERIATRICS Geriatric Fellowship Program | $69,000 Geriatrics focuses on the high-quality, person-centered care we all need as we age. There is a significant shortage of physicians trained in this specialty nationwide even as the population of people over age 65 continues to rise. The Geriatric Fellowship Program at Morristown Medical Center is a comprehensive one-year training program through which physicians trained in internal medicine or family medicine gain additional expertise in the assessment, treatment and management of geriatric patients in all clinical settings. The program currently trains one fellow each year. We are seeking funding to support the salary of an additional fellow to address this growing need.
INPATIENT HOSPICE AND PALLATIVE CARE Music Thanatology Program | $28,750 This palliative medical modality is dedicated to the care of the dying with harp and voice. Music thanatologists serve at the bedside of the dying in all settings: hospitals, hospices, nursing homes and private homes.
WOMEN’S HEALTH Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Education Needs | $85,500 Our urogynecology fellows follow an intensive curriculum of clinical training and research/educational activities. However, institutional funding is extremely limited for certain activities that facilitate this training (even when required). Primary examples include presentations at regional, national, and international meetings; postgraduate courses in required training areas, such as biostatistics and scientific writing; and board preparation courses. These activities advance our fellows’ education and training and are vital to the status of medical education in our program and at our institution.
You can make a difference! To lend your support, please call the Foundation at 973-593-2400 or visit f4mmc.org, view the full list of priorities and make a gift online.
f4mmc.org
| Funding Priorities
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Foundation for Morristown Medical Center 475 South Street | Morristown, NJ 07960
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EXPANSION UNDERWAY On December 20, 2017, Morristown Medical Center ceremonially broke ground on a two-story expansion of Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute that will add 72 private patient rooms. Hospital President Trish O’Keefe, PhD, RN, (center) used the same shovel officials broke ground with in 1949 when they began building the “new” Morristown Memorial Hospital, which had outgrown its Morris Street location. Joining Dr. O’Keefe (l-r) were Linda D. Gillam, MD, Dorothy and Lloyd Huck Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine; founding benefactors Neil and Lois Gagnon; and Jim Quinn, the Foundation’s Chief Development Officer.
In Memoriam With sad hearts, we acknowledge the passing of Honorary Foundation Trustee Walker Dillard Kirby, 93, on November 11, 2017. “Walker was one of the most thoughtful people I had the honor of knowing,” says Jim Quinn, chief development officer for the Foundation. “She always put the welfare of others ahead of herself. The medical center and our community will miss her graciousness and kindness.” Mrs. Kirby grew up in Greensboro, NC, and loved riding horses with her father, Stark Dillard. She met her husband, the late Fred Morgan Kirby II, through their mutual love of the equestrian world, their first date
taking place on horseback. After their wedding, the couple relocated to Morris County. Besides her lifelong devotion to her family, Mrs. Kirby was an active community volunteer. Her 30 years of service to The Seeing Eye, a guide dog training facility in Morristown, won her numerous awards and honors. She is survived by daughter Alice Kirby Horton and her husband, George, of Durham, NC; son Fred Morgan Kirby III of Greensboro, NC; son Stark Dillard Kirby and his wife, Adrienne, of New Vernon; son Jefferson Walker Kirby and his wife, Karen, of New Vernon; along with 10 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
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Writer: Laura Deal | Editor: Regi Diverio Layout: Susan Falcone, Envoi Design
The Foundation for Morristown Medical Center is a nonprofit public foundation whose mission is to inspire community philanthropy to advance exceptional health care for patients at Morristown Medical Center and Goryeb Children’s Hospital. Our objective is to use philanthropy to preserve and expand programs and services in direct patient care, clinical research, medical and public health education and preventive medicine.
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