New Unit Enhances Comfort and Convenience for Patients and Families
(New Brunswick, NJ) – Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, has unveiled its newly expanded, state-of-the-art Pre/Post-Surgical Services Unit for patients having from surgery.
The new Pre/Post Surgical Services Unit features 54 private, spacious patient rooms and an expanded 1,850-square-foot surgical waiting area for family members. The unit also offers a sensory room specially designed to meet the needs of patients with autism and three private consultation rooms for physicians to meet with families.
“This significant improvement to a core part of the surgical facility will have a tremendous impact on patient experience. It brings together pre-operative and post-operative surgical care in one unit,” said Leonard Lee, MD, Chief of Surgical Services for RWJUH and Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “There are many benefits to this approach, notably it allows families to remain in one space close to their loved one through the entire experience and improves patient flow for the clinical teams.”
“This opening marks the completion of the third phase of an extensive project to expand and fully update our surgical services facilities to be the most modern and advanced in the region. It is the direct result of years of hard work and detailed planning with input from frontline staff as well as patients and families,” said RWJUH Chief Executive Officer Bill Arnold. “We are grateful for the tremendous support from our generous donors who helped make this project possible. They enable us to drive excellent patient outcomes and deliver a first-class experience for patients and families, and our clinical teams, that prioritizes personal comfort to support the healing process and efficiency that enables us to help more patients.” Dedicated supporters include Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Joan & Robert E. Campbell, The Marion & Norman Tanzman Charitable Foundation, The Auxiliary of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Dina Karmazin Elkins & Sharon Karmazin, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, John A. Hoffman, Esq., Dr. James J. O'Connell Fund, Michael & Colleen Maroney, Robert J. Ciatto and Elaine Ciatto Family Foundation, Leonard Y. Lee, M.D. & Min K. Kwon, Norman & Marjorie Hale and Gil Blitz.
The new unit and recovery area opening marks the completion of Phase III of RWJUH’s ambitious Surgical Services Expansion Project that was launched in 2020. The project also includes:
- Hybrid Operating Rooms designed to allow flexibility for many different specialties, which enhances collaboration among surgeons, leading to less waiting times for patients, and better access to life-saving technologies. Hybrid Operating Rooms combine traditional devices, instruments and equipment with medical imaging, robotics and other technologies for minimally invasive procedures. Hybrid Operating Rooms allow doctors to do both open and laparoscopic surgeries and potentially switch from one to another during the same operation. The Hybrid ORs also feature intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging to give neurosurgeons real-time views of the brain during surgery.
- Intraoperative MRI
- Advanced and Expanded Central Sterile Processing Unit: Surgical Services now houses an expanded, centralized and dedicated sterile processing facility for the cleaning and sterilization of all surgical instruments and equipment in one place. This is critical for enhancing infection prevention and patient safety. The project doubled CSP’s space to 16,000 square feet. RWJUH worked closely with a leading manufacturer of equipment and systems for sterilizing medical instruments to create an innovative CSP design. It incorporates automation and advanced technologies that maximize productivity of both machines and staff.
The final phase of the project will be completed in 2025, adding 28 new, state-of-the-art operating rooms and 78 pre/post surgical services rooms to RWJUH.
To learn more about how you can support RWJUH, please visit: www.rwjuhgiving.org.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) New Brunswick, an RWJBarnabas Health Facility, is a 628-bed academic medical center that is New Jersey’s largest academic medical center through its deep partnership with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. RWJUH is the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, a nationally-ranked 2023-24 Best Children’s Hospital by U.S. News & World Report. Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, orthopedics, bariatric surgery and women’s health. A Level 1 Trauma Center and the first designated Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness. Learn more at www.rwjbh.org/newbrunswick or www.bmsch.org
RWJUH has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety, including the prestigious Magnet® Recognition for Nursing Excellence and being named to Newsweek’s 2023 list of Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers. The RWJUH Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center has been recognized by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association as meeting The Joint Commission's standards for Disease-Specific Care Comprehensive Stroke Center Advanced Certification. RWJUH has also earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Disease-Specific Care Certification for Spine Surgery; The Joint Commission Gold Seal Certification for Bariatric Services; and The Joint Commission Gold Seal Certification for Hip and Knee Replacement services. The Joint Commission also awarded RWJUH a Gold Seal Certification as well as an Advanced Certification in Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Implantation.
For more Information visit us online at www.rwjbh.org/newbrunswick.
Contact:
Peter Haigney
RWJUH Public Relations
732-937-8568