Princess Agwu, BSN, RN meets with Joanne Dixon a patient on Newark Beth Israel Medical Center’s new geriatric patient unit
Newark, NJ, (April 27, 2022) – Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, has opened a new comprehensive geriatric unit.
The new dedicated geriatric unit consists of 24 private rooms, spanning 2 floors of the hospital, and specifically outfitted to meet the unique needs of older adult patients.
“This new unit is part of our ongoing commitment to delivering world class care to our patients at every age and stage of life,” said Darrell K. Terry, Sr., MHA, MPH, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey. “We have equipped every room and hallway to ensure that older adults and their loved ones have an excellent experience and receive the highest quality care in the safest environment.”
The new geriatric unit features rooms large enough to accommodate physical therapy activities, beds specifically designed to reduce pressure injuries and reduce fall hazards, cushioned slip resistant flooring, sliding doors to private bathrooms, with bathroom guard rails for ease of access. In addition, select rooms have been outfitted with equipment to support patients who are not ambulatory.
The hallways are brightly colored with color blocking patterns that help guide and orient patients. Hallways are also fitted with guardrails, pull out seating, a centralized nursing station and dimmable lighting. The unit also features wheelchair accessible family visitor lounges.
“Our goal is to exceed the individual expectations of each patient, to decrease the stress commonly associated with older adult care and to promote wellness in older adults,” said Amy Doran, RN, MS, APRN-BC, Chief Nursing Officer, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ).
The new geriatric unit further enhances patient care for older adults at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. Newark Beth Israel is a NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders) Exemplar hospital. In addition to specialized inpatient care, the hospital offers specialized emergency care for older adults in the Donald M. Payne, Sr., Geriatric Emergency Department.
This new geriatric unit is part of an extensive $150 million expansion project, The Newark Strong project is the largest expansion of the hospital in more than 50 years. Once complete, it will transform the Lyons Avenue landscape and create a more welcoming space for the surrounding community and patients, a space that reflects the level of care delivered as well as the hospital’s commitment as an anchor institution in the city of Newark and the South Ward. A key component of the project will be the hospital’s new main lobby, an estimated 17,000-square-foot, glass-enclosed space, that will move the hospital’s front entrance back onto Lyons Avenue. The project also includes expanded adult and pediatric emergency departments, new hybrid operating rooms, a new critical care unit, and a brand-new renovated maternity unit.
For more information about Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, please visit: rwjbh.org/newarkbeth.
For more information about the Newark Strong project, please visit: rwjbh.org/nbinewarkstrong.
About Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is a 665-bed regional care teaching hospital that provides comprehensive health care. Newark Beth Israel is a Top Teaching Hospital and home to one of the nation’s top 15 heart transplant centers, which has performed more than 1,100 heart transplants; RWJBarnabas Health’s Heart Failure Treatment and Transplant Program; New Jersey’s only Advanced Lung Disease and Transplant Program and a Valve Center that performs complex cardiac valve procedures, including minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs). Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is also home to Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ), which cares for children from birth through adolescence, with more than 30 specialized pediatric services including New Jersey’s largest Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders; and the Children’s Heart Center that offers a complete range of medical and surgical treatments for the most complex cardiac abnormalities. The Newark Beth Israel robotic surgery program is the most experienced in northern New Jersey. RWJBarnabas Health and The Frederick B. Cohen, MD, Comprehensive Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey Breast Health Center, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey – the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center – brings a world class team of researchers and specialists to fight alongside you, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials. Newark Beth Israel also offers many preventive health programs that promote wellness in the community, including The Beth Greenhouse, which provides access to fresh produce and health and wellness education to local residents.
Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ), located at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, cares for children from birth through adolescence, with more than 30 specialized pediatric services including New Jersey’s largest Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders; and the Children’s Heart Center that offers a complete range of medical and surgical treatments for the most complex cardiac abnormalities. Children’s Hospital of New Jersey also includes a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and a Level IV Regional Perinatal Center that offers New Jersey’s only Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) therapy; and the highest level of intensive care for both mothers and newborns.
Media Contact:
Linda Kamateh
973-926-7531
linda.kamateh@rwjbh.org