The multidisciplinary team for MMC’s CF Center includes, seated from left: Robert Zanni, MD, CO-Director, CF Center and Pediatric Program Director, Doantrang Du, MD, Co-Director CF Center and Adult Program Director, Eduardo Sembrano, MD, Associate Pediatric Program Director, and standing from left: Bridget Marra, RN, BSN, CPN, Pediatric Program Coordinator, Lisa Koval, RN, MSN, CPN, Adult Program Coordinator, Kathy Stansfield, BS, Registered Dietician, Dana Kapighian, BS, Registered Respiratory Therapist, and Courtney Simeth, MS, Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
Long Branch, NJ, March 22, 2024 –Monmouth Medical Center’s (MMC) Comprehensive Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Center—the oldest center in New Jersey and the only center in Monmouth and Ocean counties—has earned reaccreditation from the National Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF).
As an accredited CF Center, MMC receives peer site visits every five years from the CFF Center Director’s Committee. The site visits review clinical metrics, infrastructure, quality improvement outcomes and sweat testing and microbiology laboratory protocols.
The center — which opened in 1969 and includes both pediatric and adult programs — offers patient care, teaching and research and is designated by the State of New Jersey as a referral center for Cystic Fibrosis Newborn Screening. The outpatient center is located at MMC’s Anne Vogel Family Care & Wellness Center in Eatontown.
“We currently have 101 CF patients ranging in age from 6 months to 62 years of age,” said CF Center Co-Director, Robert Zanni, MD*Chief of Pediatric Pulmonology and Pediatric Program Director at the Unterberg Children’s Hospital at MMC, part of the Children’s Health network of RWJBarnabas Health. “People over 21 are transitioned to our adult program and are also seen at the Anne Vogel Building.”
Patient care is provided by a multidisciplinary team of specialists trained in cystic fibrosis care, including two pediatric pulmonologists—who in addition to Dr. Zanni includes Eduardo Sembrano, MD*, Associate Pediatric Program Director—who provide care to children from birth to 21 years of age. The Adult Cystic Fibrosis program is directed by a board-certified, internal medicine physician with expertise in cystic fibrosis, Doantrang Du, MD*, who serves as Co-Director of the CF Center. The multidisciplinary team consists of one pediatric and one adult nurse coordinator, a registered dietician, a respiratory therapist and a licensed social worker, and soon the team will be adding a dedicated pharmacist.
The nationwide network of more than 130 National CFF-accredited centers and 53 Affiliate CF Centers, has dedicated health care professionals who partner with people living with CF and their families to provide expert cystic fibrosis care and specialized disease management. The CF Center at MMC has an Affiliate CF Center at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, which also received the five-year CFF accreditation and is led by Affiliate Program Director Stephanie Zandieh, MD, MS*, a pediatric pulmonologist, and Katherine Chiapaikeo-Poco, DO, the Adult CF Program Director.
The CFF funds and accredits care centers located at teaching and community hospitals across the country. These centers offer comprehensive, high-quality care that combines clinical research with medical care best practices that has been cited by the National Institutes of Health as a model of effective and efficient health care delivery for a chronic disease. This elevated level of specialized care has led to longer, more fulfilling lives for people living with CF.
“Cystic fibrosis is a complex disease that affects many parts of the body differently as you age into adulthood,” Dr. Zanni said. “In order to provide our patients with comprehensive care based on current medical best practices, our team is responsible for staying on top of the latest CF care guidelines, trends in patient outcomes and new medications and therapies.”
MMC recently invested in the latest in pulmonary function testing (PFT) equipment for the Cystic Fibrosis Center. PFT’s measure both the capacity (size) of the lungs and how well the air flows in and out of the lungs.
“The medical team will follow each patient’s PFT numbers closely to track how well the lungs are working,” Dr. Zanni says. “Changes in PFT values may mean that an infection has taken hold and needs to be addressed. These numbers also measure long-term damage to the lungs and progression of CF.”
To learn more about the Comprehensive Cystic Fibrosis Center, call 732-222-4474.
* RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group providers
About Monmouth Medical Center
Monmouth Medical Center (MMC), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, along with The Unterberg Children’s Hospital, is a regional teaching campus for Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. As the first hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties, MMC offers the most experienced surgeons in robotics and other minimally invasive procedures as well as bariatric and joint and spine surgery. MMC delivers more babies annually than all other hospitals in Monmouth and Ocean counties combined. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has conferred Magnet® recognition for MMC, one of just 509 U.S. health care organizations out of more than 6,300 U.S. hospitals to achieve Magnet recognition. MMC has received more “A” Hospital Safety Scores from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit organization, than any other hospital in the region. The hospital has also been named a Leapfrog Top Teaching Hospital three times. MMC is one of just 414 of the more than 6,000 hospital hospitals in the U.S. named to Newsweek's Global Best Hospitals' list for three consecutive years, and one of 148 U.S. hospitals named to the digital platform Money’s inaugural list of the Best Hospitals in America. RWJBarnabas Health and MMC, 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 patients, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials.
About RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group
RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group is a multispecialty group practice comprising of over 2,400 highly skilled and experienced world class primary and specialty care providers. Our providers offer compassionate and innovative cutting-edge care for people at every stage of life at easily accessible facilities conveniently located throughout New Jersey. RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group is ranked as the fourth largest medical group in the nation Becker’s ACS Review in 2023. Backed by the vast continuum of resources throughout RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Health, our dedicated providers and expertly trained supporting staff continuously strive for clinical and academic excellence. For more information, visit rwjbh.org/medicalgroup.
About RWJBarnabas Health Children’s Health Network
As New Jersey’s largest academic health system, RWJBarnabas Health is the state’s most comprehensive children’s health network offering an unmatched range of pediatric services, from primary care to specialized treatments and therapies.
Our vast network of child-friendly facilities and pediatric specialists includes four acute care children’s hospitals across the state. Our team takes a multidisciplinary approach to each child’s unique health needs with a total of 692 pediatric inpatient beds across the system and 18 pediatric primary care locations going beyond clinical interventions addressing specific care needs at the appropriate developmental, physical, emotional, and psychological levels of each child.
In partnership with Rutgers Health, RWJBarnabas Health Children’s Health network provides advanced research, teaching, social impact initiatives, and outstanding care to improve the health and well-being of every child in every community. Learn more at rwjbh.org/ChildrensHealth.
CONTACT: Kathy Horan
(732) 546-6317
Kathy.Horan@rwjbh.org