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JFK Medical Center Designated as Comprehensive Stroke Center

JFK Medical Center has been designated as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services. This designation recognizes JFK’s extensive rapid response network of emergency stroke experts, including the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK and the JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute.

"This designation recognizes the full spectrum of care we provide to seriously ill patients with stroke and cerebrovascular disease," states John P. McGee, President & Chief Executive Officer of Solaris Health System.

JFK is one of only two hospitals in New Jersey to receive state designation as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, a facility staffed and equipped around the clock to swiftly and accurately diagnose and treat acute stroke victims on an emergency basis.

"Comprehensive Stroke Centers have access to the latest diagnostic and therapeutic developments in the field and offer the widest range of interventional options to stop a stroke in progress and minimize the potential damage," explains Martin Gizzi, MD, PhD, Chairman of the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK. "Any person who suspects they are having a stroke should go the closest stroke center, primary or comprehensive. It is an added benefit to the central New Jersey community to have a Comprehensive Stroke Center so close by, as it offers stroke patients the best chance for survival and return to their normal life," adds Gizzi.

The Comprehensive Stroke Center at JFK uses state-of-the-art 3-D Interventional Neuroradiology—an advanced computer technology that produces live, three-dimensional images of blocked vessels in the brain. The equipment allows JFK physicians to perform deep-brain procedures that dissolve blood clots from within, opening the vessels and returning oxygen to the brain. As a Comprehensive Stroke Center, JFK serves the entire central New Jersey area and is the primary transfer location of patients for eight other central New Jersey hospitals.

At JFK Medical Center, advanced stroke treatment brings together a comprehensive and coordinated team of specialists. The rapid response team, working in conjunction with community first-aid squads, includes mobile intensive care units and emergency services personnel as the first line of defense. Then JFK emergency physicians and stroke experts from the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK team-up to provide critical assessment and treatment. Rounding out the team are the nationally recognized therapeutic specialists of the JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute - aiding, when necessary, in the recovery process. JFK also offers support groups for stroke victims and their families.

For the past three years, JFK has been designated the top hospital in the state, and among the top 5% in the nation, for comprehensive stroke treatment and successful outcomes by Health Grades, an independent healthcare quality company.

Advancements Lead the Way for the JFK Hartwycks

Community Benefits from Dedication to Superior Care

The JFK Hartwycks, located at three sites in Plainfield and Edison, have been a cornerstone of care for the community, creating a nurturing environment that is focused on comfort and the emotional well being of residents. JFK Hartwyck at Cedar Brook, Edison Estates and Oak Tree, together, provide more than 500 long-term care beds for skilled nursing home, sub acute and medical rehabilitation care; respite care and medical day care, among other essential services. Together, the Hartwycks are committed to unparallel superior care and a stringent program of continuous quality assessment and improvement. This quality of care is evident in their certification by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the goldenseal of approval for healthcare facilities. And, with patient satisfaction scores of 93% a testament to their dedication of superior care, they stand poised to sustain and enhance an atmosphere that promotes quality through the education of residents, families, staff and the community.

Advancements lead the way for the Hartwycks. A most important recent development is the new orthopedic unit at Edison Estates, which specializes in a full array of rehabilitation and neurosurgical care to patients recovering from orthopedic injuries and surgeries. Hartwyck at Edison Estates is sensitive to the unique services required for individualized diagnoses, and the new unit offers 14 large private rooms and a separate gym designed specifically for orthopedic rehabilitation. Overall, the JFK Hartwycks’ comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation program provides complete care for residents who are still medically fragile and may require the ‘round-the-clock medical support of a healthcare facility. Most importantly, the program helps residents become self-sufficient after a debilitating illness or injury and achieve the necessary skills to return to maximum functional independence.

Another key accomplishment to note is the addition of four ventilator beds that can accommodate hemodialysis, at Hartwyck at Oak Tree, complementing an already impressive compendium of care. A multidisciplinary team -- RNs, LPNs, CNAs, Respiratory Therapists, Board Certified Pulmonologists, Dieticians, among other specialty trained professionals -- work with patients who require ventilator care due to an injury, chronic disease or other respiratory and neurological problem to help them reach their highest level of independent function. The team also works in unison with family members and caregivers to achieve ventilator management and patient stabilization to ensure quality of life for the resident.

The JFK Hartwycks are armed with the latest clinical advances to ensure the best course of treatment and outcomes. This is equally evident at Hartwyck at Cedar Brook, which provides respite care and short-term rehabilitation and has the only unit in New Jersey specifically designed for the care of and treatment for patients diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease. Although there is no overall remedy for Huntington’s Disease, the team at Cedar Brook agrees that a symptom-specific, interdisciplinary approach is the best way to care for, maintain and improve the quality of life for the affected individual.

The Hartwycks celebrate more than 20 years of excellence caring for community residents year after year. At the JFK Hartwycks, our residents have transformed these care facilities into neighborhoods where they can reminisce about the past and look forward to the future.

For additional information on the JFK Hartwycks’ programs and services, please contact 732.985.1000 or visit www.solarishs.org.