Hackensack Meridian Health to Form Maternal Health Task Force

On Jan 24, 2019

Hackensack Meridian Health announced the formation of a Maternal Health Task Force, a blue-ribbon panel of internal and external experts, dedicated to improving maternal health outcomes.

“At Hackensack Meridian Health, we always put our patients first, aim to provide the highest quality care and deliver the best patient experience,” said Robert C. Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. “New Jersey has the fifth highest maternal death rate in the country, which is unacceptable. Our mothers deserve  better. As New Jersey’s largest health network, Hackensack Meridian Health is dedicated to changing that outcome in New Jersey. Our newly formed Maternal Health Task Force will help address maternal health issues.”

The Maternal Health Task Force will build upon Hackensack Meridian Health’s work to improve maternal health and raise awareness in the communities it serves, as well as foster collaboration with other health providers and legislators across the state. The task force will ensure that the health network’s goals for success are aligned among clinician team members, hospital leaders and network executives. Members are leading maternal health experts from across New Jersey including:

·         Former First Lady Mary Jo Codey, Co-chair

·         Kathy Ellis, Co-chair and Hackensack Meridian Health Board Trustee

·         Manuel Alvarez, M.D., Chair OB/GYN, Hackensack University Medical Center

·         Carol Barsky, M.D., Hackensack Meridian Health Executive Vice President, Chief Quality Officer

·         Michael Kleiman, D.M.D., Hackensack Meridian Health Board Trustee

·         Andrew Rubenstein, M.D., Section Chief of Labor & Delivery, Hackensack University Medical Center

·         Andria Schneiderman, Hackensack Meridian Health Hospital Corporate Board Trustee

Every day, two women on average die in the United States following childbirth and an additional 1,000 women are affected every week by severe complications during delivery. The Maternal Health Task Force will oversee all of network’s efforts to improve maternal health. Hackensack Meridian Health is declaring, along with New Jersey’s First Lady Tammy Murphy, that these outcomes are unacceptable. Hackensack Meridian Health will work tirelessly to make New Jersey the safest state in the nation to have a baby.

“New Jersey is one of the best states in the nation to live in and is often on the forefront of national issues. That is why it is imperative that we improve maternal health in our great state,” said Maternal Health Task Force Co-Chair and former First Lady Mary Jo Codey. “I am proud to serve as co-chair on Hackensack Meridian Health’s Maternal Health Task Force to address this important issue, and I look forward to working with leading experts across the state to see how New Jersey can be a national leader on improving maternal health.”

“As New Jersey marks the second annual Maternal Health Awareness Day, Hackensack Meridian Health has made a commitment to providing the best care for our patients and mothers,” said Maternal Health Task Force Co-Chair Kathy Ellis, Hackensack Meridian Health board trustee. “The Maternal Health Task Force will examine best practices and find solutions to improve maternal outcomes across the communities we serve.”

The announcement of the task force was made on January 23, the State of New Jersey’s second observance of Maternal Health Awareness Day – the first state in the nation to designate a day focused on maternal health. “I want to thank Governor Phil Murphy, First Lady Tammy Murphy and Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal’s leadership for shining a light on this critical issue to better understand what we can do as a community to raise awareness about maternal health and safety,” said Garrett.

“Hackensack Meridian Health is committed to ongoing collaboration with First Lady Tammy Murphy of New Jersey and the Department of Health,” said Maternal Health Task Force member Carol Barsky, M.D., Hackensack Meridian Health executive vice president, chief quality officer. “It is an honor to improve maternal health care, to eliminate disparities. We are committed to reducing maternal mortality, maternal complications and racial disparity in material health outcomes.

To access more business news, visit NJB News Now.

Related Articles: