New partnership in local health care

NEW PARTNERSHIP  St. Joseph’s Health and Hack­ens­ack Meridian Health entered into a clinical and strategic partnership on Sept. 25. Pictured are (front, from left) Sister of Charity Marilyn Thie, chair of the board of trustees at St. Joseph’s Health; Gordon Litwin, chair of Hackensack Meridian Health board of trustees; (back, from left) Kevin Slavin, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health; Robert Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health.

PATERSON  For some cancer patients living in the city of Paterson, receiving chemotherapy or radiation for their illness sometimes requires a bus ride every day to a cancer treatment facility. For those who are battling a difficult disease and receiving treatment, St. Joseph’s Health here believes there should not have to be an obstacle in the way for these patients to get better due to where they live.

That is one of the many reasons St. Joseph’s Health announced last week that it is entering into a clinical and strategic partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health which will deepen the commitment to deliver innovative, high-quality and cost-effective care. This transformative partnership will advance St. Joseph’s and Hackensack’s commitment to meet the needs of the communities they serve, including the underserved and vulnerable. The organizations are focused on providing patient-centered care that humanizes the patient experience and is respectful of individual preferences, needs and values.

Sister of Charity Marilyn Thie, chair of the board of trustees at St. Joseph’s Health, said, “There’s no doubt in my mind that this partnership will have a profound impact on the communities it serves, particularly the Paterson community, which will continue to get the services it had before but much more in its own locale. It is crucial that people from Paterson will not have to travel somewhere else to get special care. This is more than a step in the right direction. This is a monumental leap forward for those we serve and for those of us who do the serving.”

Keeping its Catholic tradition in healthcare and sustaining its 152-year history and Catholic mission was an important factor in looking for a partner for St. Joseph’s Health. Under the new partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health, St. Joseph’s Health will remain an independent organization, governed by a separate board of trustees with continued sponsorship by the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth.

Bishop Serratelli said, “I firmly believe that innovative partnerships like this are the answer to enhancing healthcare delivery to those who need it most. New models and structures are imperative for Catholic health systems like St. Joseph’s Health to remain strong, while evolving as the leading health resource in the community.”

The new clinical and strategic partnership will have a significant impact throughout Bergen and Passaic counties increasing the region’s access to wide-ranging health care services, and expanding the network of aligned physicians to better serve the community. It will also enable the two networks to continue to advance medical education for the next generation of health care providers and work together to support population health management and effectively transition to value-based care. The partnership also provides the opportunity to expand state-of the art oncology services, featuring a Comprehensive Cancer Center with multiple locations throughout Passaic County including Paterson, Wayne and Totowa.

Kevin Slavin, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health, said, “This is an exciting step forward in the history of St. Joseph’s Health. After a comprehensive search to find just the right partner who would support our Catholic roots and philosophy, while at the same time embrace our commitment to the local communities of northern New Jersey, we are delighted to join efforts with Hackensack Meridian Health in this forward-thinking collaboration.”

Robert Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health, added, “St. Joseph’s Health and Hackensack Meridian Health are natural partners who share a common mission and culture — increasing access to high quality, affordable care to the communities we serve. We are excited to enter into a partnership with a first-class healthcare network like St. Joseph’s Health. The formation of this innovative partnership will transform healthcare in New Jersey and provide more residents access to the most advanced treatments.”

This clinical and strategic partnership builds upon the existing collaboration between the two organizations. In 2017, Hackensack Meridian Health and St. Joseph’s Health formed the Visiting Health Services (VHS) of New Jersey, a jointly owned home health services agency and hospices services agency that successfully serves patients and families across Bergen, Passaic and parts of Morris County. VHS received nearly 4,000 admissions in 2018, a 160 percent increase over the prior year, setting a new standard of excellence in home health services. VHS aims to provide high quality, highly coordinated and professional continuum of care to patients in the comfort of their homes.

Gordon Litwin, chair of the Hackensack Meridian Health board of trustees, said, “Partnerships are the future of healthcare and together, with like-minded partners like St. Joseph’s Health, we will be able to transform health care delivery.”