Medical Center at Princeton's Commitment to Community

Mercer Business, Jul 01, 2002 by Seabrook, Lorraine

The Medical Center at Princeton, a comprehensive health system, is deeply committed to the community for which it provides a full continuum of care.

When asked about the Medical Center's strengths, Barry S. Rabner, who became president of the Medical Center in April, cites the expertise of the medical staff and the organization's sophisticated technology; he is also quick to point out the importance of the community.

He states that delivering high-quality patient care and building and maintaining a strong relationship with the community are at the heart of the Medical Center's work.

The Medical Center is now embarking on a strategic planning process that will include an in-depth look at its current services, operations, and facilities, while evaluating future needs. The goal is to develop a plan that spans the next five to ten years. Community input is vitally important to Barry Rabner, and he will hold meetings with community members throughout the planning process.

The origins of the Princeton area's leading healthcare facility are rooted to the community's needs. During 1916, many area residents expressed interest in having a local hospital. When a flu epidemic struck the area two years later, the need for a hospital became more urgent.

Community groups raised the funds to build it by holding a variety of events, including a rummage sale, in 1918. This annual event continues to be held every fall and is now sponsored by the Medical Center's Auxiliary, a group of 400 volunteers that raise funds for the Medical Center through a variety of community-oriented events, including the June Fete and A November Night dinner dance.

In December 1918, Moses Taylor Pyne donated a five-acre dairy farm on Witherspoon Street to be used as a hospital site. After converting the farmhouse, the hospital opened in November 1919 and has been serving the community that helped found it ever since.

Throughout its history, the Medical Center has remained focused on providing the community with ever higher levels of quality care. All physicians who join the Medical Center's staff must be boardcertified. Consistently achieving accreditation and high scores from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO-an independent, non-profit organization founded in 1951 to improve the safety and quality of our nation's healthcare) is just one example of the Medical Center's success. It is a clinical research affiliate of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the only facility in the state designated by the National Cancer Institute. As a teaching affiliate of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the Medical Center has trained the doctors of tomorrow since 1972.

The Medical Center and its physicians provided $3.5 million in uncompensated charity care during 2001. The medical and dental staff is committed to public service and many physicians lend their support to the Medical Center's Clinic.

Karen Buda, administrative director of the clinic, notes that the clinic's mission is to serve those members of the community who are uninsured or under-insured and to provide them with a smooth continuum of care. Visits to the clinic reached an alltime high of 13,761 in 2001.

Another important component of the Medical Center's response to the community's needs is its service to Princeton's Hispanic community. Translation Coordinator, Fredy Estrada, provides translation services for the majority of patients for whom Spanish is the primary language. Medical terminology can be tricky in any language, and community members are relieved to have a translator on hand. Estrada is assisted by a corps of bilingual volunteers who receive special training for their work with patients.

Many of these volunteers assist the dedicated staff in the Home Care and Hospice Departments. Executive Director of Home Care and Hospice, Barbara Yost, notes that her department provided 81,450 home care visits in 2001. Home Care provides a continuum of care for patients from infants through elders, involving privateduty service and home infusion, including chemotherapy.

For those in the Princeton area who need immediate care for an urgent medical condition, the Emergency Department cares for patients 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. All physicians in the Emergency Department are board-certified in Emergency Medicine.

In 2001, the Emergency Department recorded 36,845 visits. Each patient is triaged or evaluated and sent to either acute care or Fast Track, the Medical Center's self-contained, fully-equipped unit located within the Emergency Department. In operation for over three years, Fast Track effectively serves patients with less serious conditions, such as those that require sutures, splints, casts, simple abscess treatment, or prescription medication.

The vast majority of patients are evaluated, treated, and released in one hour or less. Incoming patients with serious conditions are treated in the Emergency Department's acute care section, where they receive immediate expert care.