The Digest | New Jersey Magazine
Issue link: https://magazines.vuenj.com/i/1326760
Englewood Health's Dr. Ashwin Jathavedam, chief of infectious disease, Dr. Hillary Cohen, chief of emergency medicine, and Dr. Stephen Brunnquell, president of the Englewood Health Physician Network discuss the hospital plans handling COVID-19. A s the year 2020 was winding down, Warren Geller, president and CEO of Englewood Health in Englewood, New Jersey, received thrilling news from e Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization of employers focused on healthcare safety and quality. Not only had Englewood received another 'A' from the Leapfrog Group for its efforts in providing safe care, but it was the recipient of the national Pandemic Hero of the Year Award; the only hospital in the nation to achieve this recognition. "We were most impressed by the people of Englewood Health, who came together in so many ways showing courage and compassion in the face of the COVID-19 crisis. ey have inspired us all," said Leah Binder, the president and CEO of e Leapfrog Group. She noted that the awards committee responsible for selecting the winner of this award, recognized several initiatives at Englewood Health that raised the bar during the height of the pandemic to ensure safety and well-being of their team and the community. ese initiatives included organizing a COVID liaison team consisting of surgeons, other physicians and patient support staff who supported the critical care nurses and ICU doctors as communications specialists. is allowed the medical team to focus on caring for the record number of critically sick patients in the Emergency Department, on patient floors and in the ICU. "Continuous communication with families and patients who were not able to be together was at the core of caring for our patients," said Dr. Alexa Gottdiener, chief of medicine at Englewood Health. Englewood Health also launched a telemedicine program for their physician network to provide continuity of care for patients with and without COVID. "e telemedicine services were operational in a matter of days and a valuable option to care for chronic and non-urgent conditions," said Dr. Stephen Brunnquell, president of the Englewood Health Physician Network. e hospital also established an employee relief fund to help support families who experienced economic hardship as businesses and schools closed and services were suspended. "Our entire team did not hesitate for one moment to care for the many communities we serve," Geller said. "What I witnessed—not surprisingly— was each and every member of the Englewood Health team stepping up in every way imaginable. ey put everything else aside to care for our community," he said. Now, as Englewood Health looks towards 2021, their focus, like many in the health care industry has shied to the COVID-19 vaccine, and working with the community to overcome mental health and other health concerns in a post-COVID world. DEMYSTIFYING THE DECISION TO VACCINATE Vaccines are the little wonders of modern medicine. In the case of the FDA authorized COVID-19 vaccines, they are designed to teach our immune system to fight against this new foreign entity. at fight, or immune response, is in turn what protects us from acquiring the virus. Some vaccinations only require one shot, while others, as with COVID-19, require two shots. Dr. Ashwin Jathavedam, is chief of infectious disease at Englewood Health and one of the first clinical leaders in the community to help educate the public about practicing "social distancing" and what it meant to flatten the curve. He confirms that, like other more known vaccines, the COVID vaccine was developed based on years of viral research. e authorized vaccines went through an extensive safety review process and have both demonstrated near 95% effectiveness in scientifically significant clinical trials. "It's critical for everyone to get vaccinated because, as with measles, polio, or shingles, the vaccine will not only help prevent you from getting infected, but will also help prevent you from spreading the disease to others. Our goal is to end the COVID pandemic." says Dr. Jathavedam. Additionally, Dr. Jathavedam points out that once infected, the road to recovery can be long even for healthy, younger and asymptomatic patients. Some COVID-19 patients who were Warren Geller, president and CEO of Englewood Health, is joined by hospital staff at a "clap-out" of the 500th COVID-19 patient to be discharged earlier in the spring.