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They say, “You don’t know what

you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.” However,

residents of the Pascack and Northern

Valley regions may beg to differ. What

they had for 53 years was Pascack Valley

Hospital (PVH); what they had was

access to emergency healthcare – access

to a hospital in their own backyard.

That is, until it closed in Novem ber,

2007. Yet, it didn’t take PVH shutting

its doors for the residents to understand

the necessity of emergency care in their

area; and it didn’t take Hackensack

University Medical Cen ter (HUMC)

more than a heartbeat to know they

needed to return that care to the

region’s worried residents. Thus began

HUMC’s mission to bring the quality

care it’s known for, home to Westwood

and surrounding communities.

“We depended on PVH for so

long. When it closed, it was like taking

something away from me – some-

thing that belonged to me,” remarked

River Vale resident, June Standish,

who has lived in Pascack Valley her

entire life.

Understanding the concern of

residents like Ms. Standish was

HUMC’s catalyst to action. The first

immediate need to address was the

sudden lack of ambulance services

when PVH closed; so, starting Novem -

ber 21, 2007, HUMC began provid-

ing the area with outstanding para-

medic services. Fully staffed paramedic

units were made avail able for patients

to be treated in the field and then

transported by ambulance to the

closest appropriate hospital.

In February, 2008, during the

course of a bankruptcy auction,

HUMC purchased the assets of PVH

including property, plant, and equip-

ment. HUMC then received approval

from the New Jersey Department of

Health and Senior Services to open

emergency room facilities at the for-

mer PVH, and was granted a license

to operate a Satellite Emergency

Department on September 23, 2008.

After receiving state approval,

John P. Ferguson, president and chief

executive officer of HUMC, said the

words area residents had longed to

hear: “It’s going to open, definitely and

without a question, on October 1.”

True to Mr. Ferguson’s word,

that’s exactly what Hackensack

University Medical Center North at

Pascack Valley (HUMC North) did,

10 months after PVH closed. HUMC

North opened the doors to its Satellite

Emergency Department on October

1, 2008, at the former PVH location –

open seven days a week, 24 hours a

Ceremoniously cutting the ribbon for the SatelliteEmergency Department, from left: Robert C. Garrett, executive vice president and chiefoperating officer; Westwood Councilman BillPhayre; Westwood Council President CynthiaWaneck; Westwood Councilman John J. Sciara;Westwood Mayor John J. Birkner, Jr.; J. FletcherCreamer, Jr., chairman of HUMC's Board ofGovernors; John P. Ferguson, president and chief executive officer; Joseph Feldman, M.D.,chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine;and Lisa Iachetti, RN, administrative director ofEmergency Nursing Services.

10

day. It’s staffed with on-site, board-

certified emergency physicians, nurses,

technicians, and support staff, both

newly hired and rotated from

HUMC’s main campus, to ensure

quality and the highest standards of

care. Patients with life-threatening

medical emergencies, or those who’d

require more than 12 hours of obser-

vation, are transferred to a hospital that

has beds available to admit them.

“Nobody is happier than I am,” said

Westwood Mayor John Birkner.“This

is one of the most important events to

happen inWestwood in 53 years, since

the opening of the original PVH.”

“It took a great collaborative effort

across many departments at HUMC,

who all worked to accomplish this

opening,” said Joseph Feldman, M.D.,

chairman of the Department of Emer -

gency Medicine.“Respiratory therapy,

radiology, and laboratory services

moved quickly to get up and running

for patients; our incredible volunteers

make sure anyone who visits HUMC

North is greeted and made to feel

comfortable; plant operations and envi-

ronmental services staff members work

tirelessly to maintain all aspects of

HUMC North’s daily functions and

sanitary upkeep; and security ensures

the order and safety necessary at an

emergency services location. Together,

we have given HUMC a presence

in Westwood, and given back the

emergency care this area needed.”

It didn’t take long for residents to

feel comfortable knowing emergency

access had been restored to its rightful

place, including Ms. Standish. “I’m so

glad to have it back,” she exclaimed.

“It’s an absolute godsend to have

emergency care close to home. Just

recently, my friend took me to

HUMC North when my ankle was in

severe pain, and I was seen right away.

The care was extraordinary; I was

treated gently and positively, and the

whole experience was great.”

“From making discharge phone

calls, attending to and rounding on

patients in the HUMC North Satellite

Emergency Department, it is very clear

we have made a positive impact on the

lives of patients in this community,”

agreed Dr. Feldman.

The HUMC North nursing staff

wasted no time bringing their

renowned capabilities and compassion

to the new campus. “The nurses feel

it is a privilege for Patient Care to be

one of the first HUMC departments

to introduce our high standards of

quality emergency care to Westwood

and surrounding communities,” said

Lisa Iachetti, RN, administrative direc-

tor of Emergency Nursing Services.

“People are so glad to have emer-

gency services back in their neighbor-

hood and thankful for the expertise

we bring in such a caring manor,”

remarked Jane Burke, RN, nurse

manager, HUMC North Satellite

Emer gency Department.

Emergency medical technicians

and volunteer ambulance corps

members were also relieved to have

emergency services return to the

region. During the 10 months the

emergency room was closed, ambu-

lance drive times increased dramati-

cally due to the longer distances

required to reach other hospitals.

“Here at the North Campus,

all staff members wear many different

hats and work cohesively for the best

outcome of the patient. As a result,

the patients are thrilled,” Ms. Burke

continued.

Patient satisfaction is always the

number one goal, so HUMC North

didn’t stop there. It has since expanded

to offer outpatient diagnostic services,

including laboratory services, X-rays,

CT scans, and pulmonary function

tests. Additionally, HUMC has been

diligently working to open 128

beds at the North campus; doing

so would provide the Pascack and

Northern Valley regions with the

necessary and comprehensive medical

care they deserve.

Since its October 1, 2008 incep-

tion, through the end of 2008,

the Satellite Emergency Department

saw more than 2,500 patients walk

through its doors. Each one of them

has been treated with the respect,

professionalism, and courtesy that

HUMC has proudly provided for

more than 120 years. Westwood is

once again a place for residents to seek

emergency care in a time of need –

which has them saying, “There’s no

place like home.”

99thPercentile overallpatient satisfaction in the Satellite Emergency Depart -ment according to Press Ganey data.

I N 2 0 0 8 . . .

“It’s an absolute godsend to have emergency care close to home.”– June Standish, lifelong resident of Pascack Valley

166Patients seen the first week the Satellite EmergencyDepartment was open at HUMC North at PV.

2,538Patients visited HUMC North at PV SatelliteEmergencyDepartment.

260Patients arrived at the HUMC North at PV Satellite Emergency Department via ambulance.

Left: Satellite Emergency Department staff, working hard, from left: MissyPost, RN; Joseph Feldman, M.D.; Lisa Iachetti, RN; Eric Weber, RN; Cary Chiang, M.D., site director of HUMC North; and Jose Montalvo, RN.

Right: Former patient, June Standish, shows her appreciation of the care shereceived at HUMC North to Jane Burke, RN.

Above: An HUMC ambulance pulls up to HUMC North as EMTs Art Higgins (left) and Mark Lemanski prepare to bring in a patient.

9.4Percentage of patients who came into theSatellite EmergencyDepartment but neededto be transferred to a full-service hospital.

27.3Percentage of patients to utilize satellite emergency services at HUMC North at PV who were pediatric.

4,500+ Ambulance runs since HUMC assumedparamedic serviceresponsibilities in thePascack Valley region(November 21, 2007).