2021 Donor
Impact Report
In 2021, your philanthropy saw Morristown Medical Center through the second year of the pandemic while also supporting crucial new initiatives. The following report highlights the significance of your contributions and demonstrates the impact each of you has on our patients, our team members and our communities. We thank you for your unwavering support.
Morristown Medical Center’s clinical excellence and expansion of services, recognized by our regional and national standings, can be attributed to a collective effort made possible by our communities. Philanthropy, an integral component of our success, has assisted us to invest in the best technology, attract and retain the brightest medical minds, pursue breakthrough research and provide patient-centric care. I am both humbled and inspired by the unwavering commitment of our donors.
—Trish O'Keefe, PhD, RN
President, Morristown Medical Center
Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive, Atlantic Health System
5,957
total donors
$24.6 million raised to support Innovative projects, positions And programs
Here’s how your donations contributed to improvements in some of our top clinical areas:
The generosity I have witnessed this year — following the outpouring of support to the Growing Forward Campaign and COVID-19 Support Fund — has been astonishing. Your investment, whether in support of an innovative program, critical position or significant capital project, reinforced what I’ve come to learn about this community: You are with us, no matter what. For that, I am so grateful.
—Jennifer L. Smith
Chief Development Officer, Foundation for Morristown Medical Center
Giving to Morristown Medical Center helps everyone in the community. The hospital has world-class physicians providing exceptional care each day, and often donating their time to the underserved members of our community through outreach programs and clinics. These efforts have a ripple effect, helping build healthier communities where we all live and work.
—Robert B. Tafaro
Chairman, Foundation for Morristown Medical Center Board of Trustees
6,435
team members
2,461
physicians
735
licensed beds
37,860
admissions
4,954
births
11,937
inpatient surgeries
20,317
same-day surgeries
93,362
emergency visits
1,161,247
outpatient visits
Celebration of Philanthropy
After more than a year of virtual events, 120 donors gathered at the Celebration of Philanthropy held at Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, New Jersey, on September 29, 2021. The event acknowledged those who contributed to the Growing Forward Campaign — which supported the renovation and expansion of Carol G. Simon Cancer Center, Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute and Goryeb Children’s Hospital — as well as those who gave generously to the COVID-19 Support Fund and other critical areas. Community members contributed more than $40.3 million to the campaign and more than $4 million to the COVID-19 Support Fund.
Heartfelt Stories of Gratitude for Our Donors
Annual Fund Support
Annual Fund gifts, where donations are not restricted to a certain area, are an important way donors can support Morristown Medical Center’s greatest needs.
and Research
in the ED
Contributions to this fund vary in size, but all profoundly impact our medical center and our team members. In 2021, Annual Fund gifts from donors like the Spohler Foundation and Todd and Andrea Christie helped further Morristown Medical Center’s vital mission. Several bequests from estates — including Allan W. Staats, Elaine Lawrason, Charles Nuttle, Catherine Cavanaugh and the Henry Williams Trust — were also directed toward the Annual Fund last year and will make a significant impact on the future of the medical center.
About the Donors
Toward the end of his life, Allan Staats’ health issues brought him to Morristown Medical Center. The first-rate and compassionate care he received inspired him to establish a revocable trust that, upon his passing, was realized through a generous gift in support of Morristown Medical Center.
Baltusrol Golf Club members hosted a golf outing that raised $37,500 to benefit front-line team members at Morristown Medical Center. Additional funds raised were directed toward front-line team members at Overlook Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine.
$37,500
raised to benefit front-line
team members
A grant of more than $369,000 awarded to the Front Line Appreciation Group (FLAG) of Chatham/Madison through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) Sustain & Serve NJ program helped provide additional resources for FLAG’s meal delivery program. Throughout the pandemic, FLAG has purchased meals from local restaurants, delivering them to front-line workers at Morristown Medical Center.
Gifts in Kind
15,000+
Bottles of hand sanitizer
—Donated by the CI-Group
25
Cases of sparkling water
—Donated by LaCroix
Gift Cards
For Lyft, Walgreens,
uber and shoprite for
front-line team members
—Donated by Joanne Patrick
35,000
Units of Nivea Creme
—Donated by Beiersdorf
Atlantic Health System Team Member Relief
As a result of COVID-19 and natural disasters, some Atlantic Health System team members have faced personal hardships and extraordinary life events that have impacted their families. Community support allowed Atlantic Health System to gratefully distribute more than $1 million in support to team members systemwide in 2021.
$1,000,000
in distributions to team
members systemwide
Center of Excellence
We take great pride that our program is one of the top cardiovascular programs in the nation and the largest in the state. Our ever-expanding state-of-the-art services at Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute continue to draw a growing volume of patients who trust Morristown Medical Center’s experts with their hearts. We continue to expand our high-quality cardiovascular care by adding to our specialty cardiac services and cutting-edge technology, always focusing on patient-centered care to enhance the overall experience we provide to our patients.
—Linda D. Gillam, MD, MPH, MACC
Dorothy and Lloyd Huck Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine, Morristown Medical Center
Medical Director, Cardiovascular Service Line, Atlantic Health System
New, donor-funded equipment included:
I am thankful to Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute and its outstanding team for my exceptional patient experience and their world-class care.
—Robert B. Tafaro, chairman of the Foundation for Morristown
Medical Center Board of Trustees, pictured with his wife Catherine
I am thankful to Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute and its outstanding team for my exceptional patient experience and their world-class care.
—Robert B. Tafaro, chairman of the Foundation for Morristown
Medical Center Board of Trustees, pictured with his wife Catherine
Since 2014, Washington Partners Robert and Catherine Tafaro have generously supported key areas of Morristown Medical Center, including Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute.
Cardiovascular Rescue and Recovery Program
Atlantic Health System’s Cardiovascular Rescue and Recovery Program at Morristown Medical Center expands the medical center’s ability to provide 24/7/365 multidisciplinary support to our most critically ill heart patients with access to world-renowned specialists and life-saving treatments through Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute.
Established in september 2021, it is the first and only program of its kind in the state.
Dimitri Karmpaliotis, MD
Medical Director of the Cardiovascular Rescue and Recovery Program and the Advanced Coronary Therapeutics and Chronic Total Occlusions Program for Morristown Medical Center
Amirali Masoumi, MD
Medical Director of Cardiac Critical Care and Medical and Interventional Director of the Cardiogenic Shock and Mechanical Circulatory Support Program for Morristown Medical Center
Led by world-renowned interventional cardiologists Dimitri Karmpaliotis, MD, and Amirali Masoumi, MD, the Cardiovascular Rescue and Recovery Program brings advanced clinical expertise to our community and elevates Gagnon’s standing among the top-tier heart programs in the country.
A lead gift from long-time donors Neil and Lois Gagnon helped facilitate the launch of this critical program.
We are thrilled to have a role in expanding the hospital’s capacity to treat those with serious heart conditions in our community and continue to be eager to support comprehensive and award-winning care provided by Dr. Gillam and the team at Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute.
—Neil and Lois Gagnon
Foundation for Morristown Medical Center Honorary Trustees
We are thrilled to have a role in expanding the hospital’s capacity to treat those with serious heart conditions in our community and continue to be eager to support comprehensive and award-winning care provided by Dr. Gillam and the team at Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute.
—Neil and Lois Gagnon
Foundation for Morristown Medical Center Honorary Trustees
In addition to the Gagnon family, generous support from Foundation for Morristown Medical Center Trustee Glenn Yarnis and his wife Marcie, Foundation Trustee Fran Davino, Foundation Honorary Trustees Barbara and Bob Luciano as well as Mark and Sharon Newman has also helped to make this leading-edge program possible.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)
There’s no other place to get treatment in this area for HCM. Morristown Medical Center is a fabulous hospital, and they did a great job with me.
—Jonathan G. Dietz
Morristown Medical Center Patient and Donor
Sudden cardiac arrest is often a result of HCM, a hereditary disease that causes thickening of the heart muscle, and usually displays symptoms that overlap with other medical ailments, making it difficult to diagnose and treat.
Morristown Medical Center’s HCM program is the only dedicated program in the state and one of only two on the East Coast. Advances in sports cardiology and HCM at the Chanin T. Mast Center for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy at Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute are made possible by our community of donors.
Inside Update: Excellence in Cardiology — HCM
Sports Cardiology Symposium
The John Taylor Babbitt Foundation funded a virtual symposium entitled, “COVID-19 Virus, Vaccine and the Heart: How to Safely Return to Youth and Competitive Sports,” which took place on August 16, 2021, and had more than 280 registrants. Matthew W. Martinez, MD, led the web-based seminar that featured four national experts, including Jason Kessler, MD, MPH, section chief, Infectious Disease for Morristown Medical Center. Attendees included physicians, coaches and trainers, as well as members of the public.
280+
symposium registrants
Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Fund
The Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute is one of the busiest in the United States — performing more than 5,000 cardiac catheterizations per year. To serve the growing patient population, an intensive fellowship program is critical. The Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program is for a fellow who has completed three years of internal medicine residency and three years of general cardiology fellowship. Fellows train to treat patients with coronary artery disease with cardiac catheterization and coronary stenting procedures. Donor funding has helped to ensure that the program continues to thrive.
5,000+
cardiac catheterizations
per year
Center of Excellence
Lead affiliate of the only New Jersey-based National Community Oncology Research
Program (NCORP) designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) for providing high-quality care to patients with diseases of the breast
We are excited to offer our cancer patients the best clinical options and therapies in a technologically advanced and modern setting, but with the personal touch unique to our dedicated, compassionate physicians and team members.
—Eric D. Whitman, MD
Medical Director, Atlantic Health System Cancer Care
Interim Chief Research Officer, Atlantic Health System
—Patti Aresty
About the Donors
Patti Aresty became familiar with Morristown Medical Center more than 30 years ago when her late husband, David, began treatment for a series of conditions. “My husband always felt Morristown Medical Center was about the people, not bricks and mortar,” Aresty said. Over the years, the family built a strong relationship with the hospital that spurred her interest in volunteering and influenced numerous gifts totaling more than $1 million.
Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program
First Program Fellow:
Attracting the nation’s best physicians to the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center has always been a top priority. With the launch of a Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program that was made possible through philanthropy, specialized training is available to today’s leading oncologists. Legacy giving — including bequests from the Estate of Warren R. Neil, Jr. and his wife Lois, and the Estate of Diane Keene — has been instrumental in helping to seed program funding. The first fellow, Nicole Burak, MD, was chosen from a rigorous pool of more than 175 applicants and began her three-year program in July 2021.
Inside Update: Excellence in Cancer Care
Cancer Care Navigators
Cancer Resource Navigator
Rising treatment costs coupled with the uncertainty of insurance coverage can cause some cancer patients to face financial crises alongside their medical care. The cancer resource navigator, a donor-funded staff position, assists patients in understanding their insurance coverage and connects them to medication assistance programs as well as local and national foundations that offer financial aid.
Gynecologic (GYN) Nurse Navigator
The GYN nurse navigator, another position made possible through philanthropy, is a dedicated, trained professional with extensive knowledge of gynecologic oncology. As a patient advocate, they assist with appointments and follow-up care and connect patients with the appropriate medical, social and community resources.
Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund
Medical Director of GI Medical Oncology for Morristown Medical Center
To further the availability of groundbreaking pancreatic cancer treatment for our communities, Angela Alistar, MD, medical director of Gastrointestinal (GI) Medical Oncology for Morristown Medical Center and medical director of the Phase 1 Breakthrough Treatment Center, Atlantic Health System Cancer Care, is currently working on six open trials made possible through generous donor support. Contributions from donors such as Foundation for Morristown Medical Center Trustee Fran Davino have been crucial in helping facilitate these vital studies. Donor funding also supports the research nurse position, whose work is essential to conducting these clinical trials as well as collecting and analyzing the associated data.
Advanced Cellular Therapy Unit
During an inpatient stay, patients with blood cancers receive intensive chemotherapy or immune effector cell therapy, such as CAR-T, which can sometimes cause respiratory distress, cardiac arrhythmias or neurological changes. These patients may need to be transferred to the Intensive Care Unit for heightened surveillance, interrupting the flow of patient care. Contributions from Foundation for Morristown Medical Center Trustee Juliet Patsalos-Fox and her husband Michael, and donors Robert C. and Natalie Rooke have been crucial in helping to set in motion the creation of a unit for high-acuity beds in the existing inpatient oncology unit. The new space will eliminate the need for patient transfers to other areas of Morristown Medical Center, improving safety and accelerating the healing process.
Radiation Oncology
Over the next five years, the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center anticipates an increase in cancers that require cutting-edge radiation treatment. Renovating and expanding the facility will be crucial to accommodating this anticipated growth and enhancing patient care by leading oncologists. The redesign will be funded by contributions from generous donors, including Frank and Mimi Walsh, and will ultimately create 20 percent more useable space while positioning the care team and related services in a more central location.
20%
more useable space
Center of Excellence
3,018
admissions
803
NCU admissions
2,969
same-day surgeries
29,442
emergency visits
135,352
outpatient visits
Goryeb Children’s Hospital data includes Goryeb Children’s Hospital at Morristown Medical Center and Hersh Children’s Center at Overlook Medical Center, which is seamlessly connected to Goryeb Children’s Hospital.
Parents seek out Goryeb Children’s Hospital for the clinical expertise of our medical team and wealth of specialists, but also because of the exceptional, family-centered care we are known for. We are committed to doing everything we can to help families and children when they are at their most vulnerable.
—Walter D. Rosenfeld, MD
Chair of Pediatrics, Goryeb Children’s Hospital
Medical Director of Children’s Health, Atlantic Health System
New, donor-funded equipment included:
Carestation
Ultrasound System
Training Simulator
Autoguide® Robot
Valerie Fund Children’s Center
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program
Neonatologist and Co-chair of the Goryeb Philanthropy Council
Morristown Medical Center’s youngest and most vulnerable patients receive extraordinary care at Sam’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) under the supervision of 14 neonatologists. To train the next generation of experts in this field, the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program will equip three new fellows in pediatric clinical care, medical education and research. This program is seeded entirely through philanthropy.
$1,407,993 has been raised thanks to in part to the Skolnick Family, the Louise Washington Charitable Trust, Dean and Denise Vanech, Richard and Melinda Richardson and MidAtlantic Neonatology Associates toward a goal of $2 million.
Photo credit: Heidi Warner
About the Donors
Dick and Linda Richardson moved to Summit, New Jersey, in the 1960s to raise a family and have come to rely on Morristown Medical Center ever since. After 20 consecutive years of giving, the couple recently donated $120,000 to fund the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program. “It saddens us to see a sick child,” Linda Richardson said. “Our twin granddaughters, Sydney and Zoey, were born early, but thank heavens for the excellent care they received at Morristown Medical Center; they are now healthy 11-year-olds.”
Inside Update: Excellence in Pediatrics
Pediatric Neurology
The Epilepsy Center team at Goryeb Children’s Hospital incorporates a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to help treat pediatric patients suffering from this complex neurological condition. Through support from donors such as the Martire and Velez families, we have begun a five-year development plan for growth in treating pediatric epilepsy, which includes the addition of vital support positions, state-of-the-art equipment upgrades such as the Stealth Autoguide™ robotic guidance system — the first of its kind in the state — and vital facility modifications.
Calling All Kids
On December 19, 2021, Goryeb Children’s Hospital hosted a tree lighting in Mickey’s Garden, an outside play and relaxation space located between Goryeb Children’s Hospital and the Farris Family Center for Advanced Medicine in Pediatrics building, complete with decorations provided by volunteers and festive performances. The event was produced by Kids4Kids and shown on the Calling All Kids channel. Calling All Kids is a dedicated, in-house children’s television network made possible by the Women’s Association for Morristown Medical Center and through philanthropic support from donors such as the Sudler Foundation and Elizabeth and Jonathan Sobel.
Child Development and Autism Center
Many programs and services at the Child Development and Autism Center are funded by philanthropy. Timely gifts have allowed the center to serve triple the number of patients it did when it opened almost seven years ago. Eight new team members have been hired, including three nurse practitioners and one neurodevelopmental specialist. Creating an autism care navigator position and adding two applied behavior analysis therapists rounded out the team.
5,300+
patient visits in 2021
400+
new autism diagnoses
More than 5,300 patient visits took place in 2021, including more than 400 new autism diagnoses. To further support this vulnerable population during the pandemic, one of the center’s board-certified behavioral analysts, Kelly A. May, PhD, BCBA-D, assisted at the Rockaway vaccination mega site to make it easier for patients with autism and other developmental disabilities to receive their vaccinations.
Good Neighbor Fund
It is not uncommon for the families of children with cancer or blood disorders to face dire financial situations. The Good Neighbor Fund offers financial assistance to offset daily living expenses, gas, electric bills, childcare costs, mortgage or rent payments and pharmaceutical purchases. Since its inception, the Good Neighbor Fund and the donors who support it have helped thousands of families whose children are patients at Goryeb Children’s Hospital. Last year, more than $88,000 was raised for the Good Neighbor Fund, including $14,000 contributed by local high school students at Roxbury High School and the Juniors Fore Goryeb annual golf outing.
$88,000
raised in 2021 in the
Good Neighbor Fund
$14,000
contributed by local
high school students
Building Excellence in Emergency Care
Building Excellence in Emergency Care Campaign Chair and Foundation for Morristown Medical Center Trustee
Functioning as the front door to a destination hospital, the Sameth Emergency Department (ED) is one of the busiest in the state, averaging close to 100,000 patient visits per year with a two percent annual growth rate. This high-volume department operated at 100 percent capacity pre-pandemic, with patients and stretchers often overflowing into the hallways.
COVID-19 only exacerbated the situation. To address burgeoning patient volumes and to treat higher-acuity patients, updating the department’s technology and facility is crucial. The goal is to create an ED of the future to accommodate 30,000 additional patient visits per year, provide a clinically superior patient environment and improve operational flow to ensure team members can continue providing extraordinary care.
The Campaign for Building Excellence in Emergency Care to support this exciting modernization and expansion project was announced to the public in October 2021 and within the year community members contributed more than $4.8 million toward our $10 million philanthropic goal.
THANK YOU TO OUR DONOR COMMUNITY
FOR CONTRIBUTING MORE THAN
$4.8 MILLION IN 2021
— including a $2.5 million grant from the Margaret A. Darrin Charitable Trust.
New, donor-funded equipment included:
CT Scanner
Tracking Boards
Foundation for Morristown Medical Center Golf Classic
The Foundation for Morristown Medical Center Golf Classic, held on October 25, 2021, at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, raised more than $356,000 to support the expansion and modernization of the Sameth Emergency Department at Morristown Medical Center. We thank all of our sponsors — including our lead event sponsors, Open Road Auto Group and Zotec Partners — as well as all players and donors for their generous support. A special thank you to Foundation for Morristown Medical Center Trustee and the Campaign for Building Excellence in Emergency Care Chair Bill Marino for sponsoring the outing.
Center of Excellence
“exemplar”
—Nurses Improving Care for
Healthsystem Elders
(NICHE)
Donor funding helps Morristown Medical Center make strategic investments in geriatrics, including continuing education and training for clinicians and new programs for patients.
Inside Update: Excellence in Geriatrics
Chief of Geriatrics for Morristown Medical Center and Program Director of the Geriatrics Fellowship for Morristown Medical Center
Geriatrics Fellowship Program
The donor-funded Geriatrics Fellowship Program at Morristown Medical Center is a comprehensive one-year training program for physicians trained in internal or family medicine to gain expertise in the assessment, treatment and management of geriatric patients in all clinical settings — including office-based care, skilled nursing and long-term care facilities.
The program graduates one to two fellows each year. Since the program’s formation in 2016, Atlantic Health System has retained two fellows as geriatricians.
2021-2022 Fellows:
Caregiver Training Center
The Caregiver Training Center housed within the Geriatric Assessment Center at the David and Joan Powell Center for Healthy Aging will provide education, training and support for family caregivers of aging loved ones. As a donor-funded expansion of the existing initiatives, the Caregiver Training Center will help improve caregiver skills, reduce hospital readmissions and champion the needs of caregivers throughout Morristown Medical Center and Atlantic Health System.
A $303,000 grant from the Somerset Hills Community Health Foundation seeded a social worker position at the Caregiver Training Center in 2021, enabling the team to expand education and support for family members who care for an aging loved one.
The Bill and Nancy Conger
Art of Caregiving Series
This virtual series that helps caregivers navigate options for their loved ones is made possible through an endowment from Bill and the late Nancy Conger. In 2021, more than 260 participants took part in the series, which covered a range of topics including self-care, caregiver support and navigating the end-of-life journey. The series will take place virtually once again in 2022.
I didn’t know this kind of training existed until Dr. Keerti Sharma gave a presentation at a [Foundation for Morristown Medical Center] board meeting last year. The idea to endow the series sparked my interest.
—Bill Conger, donor and former Foundation for Morristown Medical Center trustee, pictured with his late wife Nancy
I didn’t know this kind of training existed until Dr. Keerti Sharma gave a presentation at a [Foundation for Morristown Medical Center] board meeting last year. The idea to endow the series sparked my interest.
—Bill Conger, donor and former Foundation for Morristown Medical Center trustee, pictured with his late wife Nancy
In response to a growing patient population, Atlantic Health System launched a specialized outpatient palliative care program to ensure high-quality patient- and family-centered care for patients living with complex chronic conditions. Morristown Medical Center donors contributed more than 42 percent of the $780,050 raised systemwide to support this vital initiative.
Morristown Medical Center
donors contributed over
42%
of the total raised systemwide
Thanks to this generous philanthropic support, office space was secured for Atlantic Medical Group Palliative Care at 435 South Street in Morristown, New Jersey, and patient visits are underway.
I am continually impressed by the selflessness Morristown Medical Center nurses practice every day. They care for patients with COVID-19 and life-threatening illnesses and injuries — always working to save lives and make patients as comfortable as possible. They place the patient first, and their dedication has touched my heart, moving me to donate to the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center to show my gratitude.
—Nancy Jones
Morristown Medical Center Patient and Donor
Nursing Resource Center
Through their generous contributions, community members are central in the effort to enhance our patient-centric care at Morristown Medical Center. For that, I am truly grateful.
—Brandee Fetherman, MSN, RN, CCRN-K
Chief Nursing Officer, Morristown Medical Center
Thanks in part to the generosity of more than 1,500 donors who gave to the COVID-19 Support Fund, the Nursing Resource Center was renovated and expanded to function as a command center for care teams in both health care crises and operational crises.
Dexter D. Earle Critical Care Advanced
Practice Nurse (APN) Fellowship Fund
The Dexter D. Earle Critical Care APN Fellowship fund was established to support the ongoing pursuit of patient-centered, quality care at Morristown Medical Center. Studies have shown that APNs in critical care are key members of a multidisciplinary care team. They enhance the efficiency of patient flow throughout a hospital stay; support communication between disciplines and between patients and families; assist in developing individualized care plans; and provide a holistic approach to ensure that patients’ medical, physical, emotional and spiritual needs are met. Last year, a generous donation from the Earle family helped establish a new critical care APN fellowship coordinator position to help train new APN graduates as they transition from novice to independent practitioners within Morristown Medical Center critical care units.
About the Donors
In 2021, Atlantic Health System mourned the loss of former Foundation for Morristown Medical Center Board of Trustees Chairman Dexter Earle. To honor his legacy, his beloved wife Carol and their children Tyler and Katie made a gift to establish the Dexter D. Earle Critical Care APN Fellowship Fund. Throughout his life, the Bedminster resident and Washington Partner generously dedicated his time and talents to Morristown Medical Center and made a remarkable impact on the community.
Higher Learning Residency Program
Morristown Medical Center’s nurses — 1,800 strong — are ranked among the best in the nation. They have achieved the coveted Magnet® Recognition five consecutive times, making Morristown Medical Center one of only 20 hospitals in the United States to achieve this distinction. Thanks to support from donors such as Eric Sumner and his wife Patricia, 99 participants took part in the Higher Learning Residency Program in 2021. As we lay the groundwork for a sixth Magnet® award in 2023, Morristown Medical Center plans to continue enhancing the program for nursing school graduates transitioning to full-time employment.
Inside Update: Excellence in Nursing
Women’s Association for Morristown Medical
Center (WAMMC) Scholarship Program
The Women’s Association for Morristown Medical Center is truly grateful for the opportunity to support our Magnet-recognized nursing team on their path to continued excellence.
—Kathleen E. Christie
President, Women’s Association for Morristown Medical Center
Trustee, Foundation for Morristown Medical Center
The donor-funded WAMMC Scholarship Program supports the Morristown Medical Center nursing team by awarding scholarships to qualified individuals providing direct patient care and pursuing careers in health care. Last year, 21 nurses received scholarships, with most recipients working toward a Master of Science in Nursing.
21 Nurses
received scholarships in 2021
Center of Excellence Fund
WAMMC Blue Skies Fundraiser
The Blue Skies Virtual Fundraiser, hosted by WAMMC, raised $150,000 through an online raffle, silent auction and direct donations to support mental health initiatives benefitting Atlantic Behavioral Health at Morristown Medical Center.
True North Behavioral Health for Veterans
True North Behavioral Health clinicians help veterans and their family members overcome the challenges of daily life that affect their goals, daily life and relationships. Therapy is available to individuals, couples or families in safe and confidential settings.
The generosity of donors, including the Nicholas J. and Anna K. Bouras Foundation, will help make it possible to hire two nurse navigators to reach more veterans and their families by visiting hospitalized veterans at their bedside. Navigators have proven effective in making initial contact and referrals to community support services or counseling.
2
nurse navigators
Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP)
HELP provides comprehensive care to address delirium in older hospitalized patients, which is characterized by profound confusion, inattention and functional decline. Delirium can be prevented or reduced through protocols like HELP, which provide bedside interventions to keep older patients mentally and functionally engaged. HELP was implemented at Morristown Medical Center thanks to a generous seed grant from the Marion E. C. Walls Trust, which continues to support the program today.
While HELP switched to a virtual support model during the pandemic, volunteers have since been approved to return to the hospital.
Women’s health is an area that is important to me because my mother was very instrumental in my having such a meaningful life, and my life is now blessed with wonderful daughters and granddaughters.
—The late T.J. Dermot Dunphy
Former CEO, Kildare Enterprises LLC
New, donor-funded equipment included:
Medical Carts
Vital Women’s Health initiatives were made possible by generous donors such as Janet Simon, Katie Simon, Eileen Lowry and the Women’s Health Philanthropy Council.
Women’s Health Clinic Patient Support Fund
The Women’s Health Clinic at Morristown Medical Center utilized donor gifts to support underserved patients with essential medications, transportation to and from appointments and other non-medical needs.
Deskovick Maternity Center Telehealth Program
The Deskovick Maternity Center at Morristown Medical Center has approximately 5,000 deliveries per year. Donor support has helped ensure optimal safety during the COVID-19 pandemic by allowing the Women’s Health Program to launch a telehealth program that offers virtual, postpartum follow-up visits to augment the in-person care new mothers receive after giving birth.
5,000
deliveries per year
Read more