Neptune, NJ – February 12, 2020 – For the fourth consecutive year, Spirit Halloween has provided a significant grant to Hackensack Meridian Health K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Hackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center. The recent gift, provided through the Spirit of Children program, represents collections during the 2019 Halloween season, and totaled $71,870, bringing the organization’s overall donations to nearly $280,000.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have again been selected by Spirit Halloween as a beneficiary of this remarkable program,” says Joseph Stampe, president and chief development officer, Hackensack Meridian Health Meridian Health Foundation, the foundation that administers the grant to the children’s hospital. “This initiative has benefited countless children and we are grateful for the generosity of Spirit Halloween. It has made a tangible impact on the lives of hospitalized children and on the Child Life program at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital.”
The funds distributed to partner hospitals such as K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital will be used to provide fun and funding for hospitalized children throughout the year. Additionally, it will be used to purchase sensory and distraction items for children, which will be used by the team of child life specialists at the hospital.
“The Child Life team is vital to making hospitalization as easy as possible for children,” says William Faverzani, vice president, Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health. “We are thankful to Spirit of Halloween for recognizing the value of this program and for continuing to help us advance care and support for sick children.”
“The Child Life Program at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital helps kids focus on being kids despite their hospitalization,” says Harpreet Pall, M.D., professor and chairman, department of pediatrics, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital. “The specialists help to reduce stress and anxiety, teach children about procedures and tests in a kid-friendly way and support emotional needs to achieve better outcomes. It is an invaluable role and Spirit Halloween has helped us to expand these vital services to other areas of the hospital.”
As part of the Spirit of Children program, Spirit Halloween stores in the local area conducted in-store fundraising campaigns specifically to benefit the Child Life Program at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital. In addition to collecting in-store donations, when customers utilized Spirit Halloween’s 10-for-10 coupon, they received 10 percent off their purchase and Spirit Halloween matched every coupon purchase with a 10 percent donation. Participating stores included the following: Brick Plaza, Eatontown, Howell, Freehold Raceway Mall, Middletown, Seaview Square, Stafford Township and West Long Branch.
Not only will this grant from Spirit Halloween help children and families impacted by illness, it also brings Meridian Health Foundation one step closer to reaching its fundraising goal of $150 million as part of the organization’s Giving Heals campaign. The campaign supports four important initiatives: strengthening oncology services, improving clinical outcomes, enhancing the patient experience and broadening clinical research and academic programs. Nearly $110 million has been raised so far to benefit eight Hackensack Meridian Health hospitals, including Jersey Shore University Medical Center, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital, Bayshore Medical Center, Ocean Medical Center, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, Riverview Medical Center and Southern Ocean Medical Center.
ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH JERSEY SHORE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
Located in Neptune, New Jersey, Hackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center is a not-for-profit teaching hospital and the only Level II Trauma and Level II Pediatric Trauma Center in Monmouth and Ocean counties. It is home to K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital – the first children’s hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties. With more than 1,200 physicians and dental staff in 60 specialty areas, Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s team provides quality care in a patient-centered, environmentally-friendly setting.
The team’s commitment to excellence has earned Jersey Shore University Medical Center numerous accolades, including being named the #4 hospital in New Jersey by U.S. News & World Report for 2018-2019. The medical center’s clinical research program and longstanding commitment to medical education is evident through an affiliation with Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University and a new affiliation with St. George’s University School of Medicine. Jersey Shore University Medical Center serves as an academic center dedicated to advancing medical knowledge, training future physicians and providing the community with access to promising medical breakthroughs.
Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s programs and services have received numerous national recognition, including designation as high-performing in cardiac, stroke, surgical and oncology services.
Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s HOPE Tower – a $265 million 10-story medical office building provides a new healing outpatient experience. Guided by a patient-centered approach towards care, and informed by the latest medical breakthroughs, HOPE Tower includes advanced imaging services, a clinical academic center, innovative stimulation laboratory, state-of-the-art amphitheater, specialty physician offices, a nine-level parking garage, and a 58,000 square foot cancer facility. The cancer facility features a range of comprehensive treatment options, including surgical specialties, medical oncology, and the most advanced radiation therapy and minimally invasive interventional therapies. Nurse navigators guide patients through every step and provide an extra layer of support and coordination.
ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH
Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care.
Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 17 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children’s hospitals – Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital in Neptune; nine community hospitals – Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin; a behavioral health hospital – Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead; and two rehabilitation hospitals – JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.
Additionally, the network has more than 500 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has more than 35,000 team members, and 7,000 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.
The network’s notable distinctions include having four hospitals among the top in New Jersey by U.S. News and World Report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and being named to Becker’s Healthcare’s “150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare/2019” list.
The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University opened in 2018, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its second class of 96 students in 2019 to its On3 campus in Nutley and Clifton. Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it.
Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies.
For additional information, please visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org.
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