RBMC Celebrates EMS Providers during National EMS Week
- RBMC Offers EMTs Free Courses in honor of EMS Week -

OLD BRIDGE, April 29, 2011… Raritan Bay Medical Center (RBMC) is celebrating National Medical Emergency Services Week by offering local EMS providers free continuing education courses.  National EMS Week, which runs May 15 thru May 21, honors the work of EMS providers while educating the public on safety and other practical tips.

Five different classes are available for EMTs to take over the course of the week at RBMC’s Old Bridge and Perth Amboy locations.  The courses include ‘Code Frost- the importance of excellent CPR and therapeutic hypothermia,’ ‘GEMS – emergency care and understanding of geriatric patients,’ ‘PEARS – an American Heart Association program for emergency care and stabilization of pediatric patients,’ ‘Acute Coronary Syndromes,’ and ‘Stroke Triage.’  All courses are conducted by an experienced and knowledgeable team of RBMC’s Emergency Department physicians, Mobile Intensive Care Unit MICNs and paramedics.

“We wanted to show our respect and support for the men and women who are out in our community saving lives every day,” explained EMS Education Coordinator Michelle Golba-Norek, RN.  “These classes benefit EMTs, who need the continuing education credits, and the local community. Our classes provide first responders with the latest in emergency care knowledge. With this knowledge they will be able to better serve our area.”

The courses begin Monday, May 16, at the Old Bridge location with the Code Frost class. The course highlights the importance of CPR and therapeutic hypothermia in increasing the chance of survival after a cardiac arrest. Therapeutic hypothermia, or body cooling, is a treatment used after cardiac arrest to slowly lower the patient’s body temperature to improve survival and outcomes, particularly lessening the incidence of brain damage.

“The EMS Week courses will create awareness of the services offered by RBMC to responders, patients and residents in the area,” said Golba-Norek.  “RBMC’s Emergency Department offers cutting-edge treatments such as therapeutic hypothermia.  By making responders and the community more aware of the state-of-the-art emergency medical services provided at Raritan Bay Medical Center we can help save lives.”

All EMS Week courses are also open to the general public, but certification isn’t available for non-EMTs. For more information or to register for courses call 732-324-5393 or email mnorek@rbmc.org.

-RBMC-

Foundation Holds Raffle Benefiting Stroke Center
-Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation Selling 1000 tickets – $5 per ticket, drawing May 27-

PERTH AMBOY, May 10, 2011… In recognition of May – National Stroke and High Blood Pressure Awareness Month – Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation is sponsoring a raffle benefiting the medical center’s Primary Stroke Center at Old Bridge and Perth Amboy. Only 1000 raffle tickets will be sold at $5 each and three cash prizes will be given, prize amount to be determined by number of tickets sold. The drawing will be held Friday, May 27, at 3 p.m. and the winner need not be present to win. For more information or to purchase tickets call 732.324.5374 or email foundation@rbmc.org.

Raritan Bay Medical Center (RBMC) is a New Jersey state-designated Primary Stroke Center, acknowledging the medical center’s optimal care of stroke patients in an emergency, and a recipient of the American Stroke Association’s Get with the GuidelinesSM – Stroke Silver Performance Achievement Award, recognizing RBMC’s success in implementing high-quality stroke care.

Stroke Warning Signs

Also, in recognition of National Stroke and High Blood Pressure Awareness Month, RBMC provides the following warning signs of stroke:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg especially on one side of the body.
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

If you experience some or all of these warning signs don’t wait CALL 9-1-1 immediately.

-RBMC-

Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation Receives $5,000 Grant from Amboy Bank
-Funds Used to Purchase Two CPM Machines for the medical center’s Old Bridge location-

OLD BRIDGE, NJ, May 10, 2011… Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Raritan Bay Medical Center (RBMC), recently received a $5,000 grant from Amboy Bank for the purchase of two new CPM machines for the medical center’s Old Bridge location Human Motion Institute, as part of the bank’s commitment to giving back to the community.

Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) machines are designed to hasten and allow for complete recovery after joint surgery. In most patients after extensive joint surgery, attempts at joint motion cause pain, and as a result, the patient fails to move the joint. This causes the tissue around the joint to become stiff and allows scar tissue to form resulting in limited range of motion. Often it may take months of physical therapy to recover that motion. Use of CPM machines helps patients avoid lengthy recovery.

“This grant represents our strong partnership with the Amboy Foundation and their commitment to improving the lives of the people in the communities we serve,” said Executive Vice President, Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation Nancy Barone.

The Human Motion Institute at Raritan Bay Medical Center is a unique program offering a comprehensive continuum of musculoskeletal care within a highly integrated orthopedic healthcare delivery network. This includes not only assessment, treatment, education and therapy services but prevention as well. The goal is to help each patient achieve maximum function and mobility as quickly and safely as possible, employing the latest medical techniques available to enhance the clinical team’s effectiveness.

“We are proud to support this important program at Raritan Bay Medical Center,” said Senior Vice President and Chief Retail Banking Officer at Amboy Bank Gregory Scharpf, “Raritan Medical Center plays an integral role in providing health services to our local community.”

Founded in 1888, Amboy Bank a full-service commercial bank with 23 offices in Central New Jersey prides itself on quality service and community involvement. Amboy Bank has been voted “Best Bank in Central Jersey” for the past 13 years in a row.

For more information, or to make an appointment with a Human Motion Institute physician, call 1-855-5MOTION.

-RBMC-

About the Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation
Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation was established in 1985. Its mission is to raise funds in support of Raritan Bay Medical Center by working closely with community groups, the business sector and individuals. Over the past 18 months, donors have contributed $1.5 million to the Foundation. In today’s challenging economic climate, fundraising is critical to the medical center’s continued investments in state-of-the-art technology, clinical innovations, facility modernizations, community outreach and other vital programs that enrich the health of area residents. Thanks to continued philanthropic support, the RBMC Foundation has funded many important projects including the medical center’s ongoing growth and renewal plan.

Raritan Bay Medical Center Announces Significant Growth and Renewal Project
-Plan Calls for Surgical Emphasis at Old Bridge and Continued Renovations at Perth Amboy-

PERTH AMBOY and OLD BRIDGE, NJ, May 9, 2011… Officials at Raritan Bay Medical Center (RBMC) have announced a major building and renovation program that will transform its Old Bridge hospital by placing a greater emphasis on surgical services such as orthopedic and bariatric surgery.  The move, according to hospital President and CEO Michael R. D’Agnes, is the culmination of months of strategic planning with the organization’s board of directors, executives and medical staff leaders and addresses the need to provide these highly-in-demand services.

“The plan grew out of the need to address the growth in surgical services that we’ve been experiencing,” said Mr. D’Agnes.  These services include the newly launched Human Motion Institute, a comprehensive musculoskeletal program at both hospitals, and the Institute for Weight Loss, a program specializing in medical and surgical weight loss options at Old Bridge.

In addition to surgical services, other improvements include continued renovation of patient rooms culminating in 62 private rooms in the Perth Amboy hospital and private rooms throughout Old Bridge. Also, newly launched outpatient specialty services at both hospitals include Centers for Women offering digital mammography, breast MRI and stereotactic breast biopsy and a Center for Wound Healing offering hyperbaric oxygen therapy at Perth Amboy.  Last year RBMC opened an urgent care center in Iselin, the Medical Pavilion at Woodbridge, which also houses an obstetric and gynecology practice and a physical therapy satellite. The urgent care center, which is open 365 days per year, treats serious, non life-threatening ailments such as sprains, fractures, flu, colds, bruises and cuts requiring stitches continues to see an increase in patients.

“We are broadening our vision to address the continuing healthcare needs of our patients and secure our future to remain a trusted healthcare resource for the community,” said D’Agnes. “The changing healthcare delivery system demands we do so and by continuing to partner with our physicians we are confident we will be successful.”

About Raritan Bay Medical Center (RBMC)
A New Jersey state-designated primary stroke center, RBMC is a recipient of the American Stroke Association’s Get with the Guidelines^SM – Stroke Silver Performance Achievement Award, recognizing the medical center’s success in implementing a high standard of stroke care and the American Heart Association Get with the GuidelinesSM – Heart Failure Gold Performance Achievement Award recipient, recognizing the optimal care of patients in 24 consecutive months.

RBMC, with locations in Old Bridge and Perth Amboy, is also one of less than two percent of hospitals nationally to achieve re-designation as a Magnet Hospital, recognizing nursing excellence, and is a three time recipient of the New Jersey Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield patient care quality award.

Licensed for 501 beds with a medical staff of more than 500, RBMC provides medical-surgical, maternity, pediatric, diagnostic imaging, laboratory and general and critical care, as well as adult behavioral health, emergency and interventional cardiac and same day surgery services.  A leader in cardiovascular care, RBMC is one of only eleven New Jersey hospitals chosen to participate in a national Johns Hopkins University Medical Center demonstration project studying the benefits of providing elective angioplasty in hospitals without onsite cardiac surgery. The hospital’s new Human Motion Institute is devoted to providing superior outcomes and patient satisfaction in all areas of musculoskeletal treatment and its newly launched Institute for Weight Loss at Old Bridge provides medical and surgical weight loss options.

The medical center has several other specialty services including the Center for Wound Healing, Center for Sleep Medicine, Center for Women, Center for Continence and Pelvic Rehabilitation, Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Programs. RBMC’s Medical Pavilion at Woodbridge provides urgent care services without an appointment 365 days a year, an obstetrics and gynecology physician practice and outpatient physical therapy services.  RBMC is a major clinical affiliate of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Health Network and affiliate of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. For more information about services, visit www.rbmc.org. For a free physician referral call 1-800-DOCTORS.

Foundation’s Art Show Raises Record Funds for Medical Center
-Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation’s Annual Event Benefits Center for Women-

PERTH AMBOY, NJ, May 20, 2011… Art aficionados and supporters of Raritan Bay Medical Center (RBMC) alike made this year’s Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation – “Inspirations: A Celebration of Art & Spring” art show reception the most successful ever, raising more than $40,000 for the medical center’s Center for Women. Guests looking to enjoy an elegant night out enjoyed the chic event at RBMC’s Perth Amboy location, complete with live music by the Victor Quezada Jazz Trio, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and wine tasting provided by Joe Canal’s Discount Liquor. As part of the evening, retired Perth Amboy High School Principal Rozalia Czaban was honored for her commitment to the district’s students, the community and the medical center.

The works of local artists, including; the late Louis P. Booz III, Paul Borkowski, EJ Davis, Dawn Drago, Darlene Foster, Cabbar Komek, John S. Masi, Michele Mastrangelo, Paul Moran, Glenn Murgacz, Melissa Pino, Susan Schaffer, Margaret Smolarski, Rolando Talag, Gail Tanski, Joseph Tanski, Phyllis Wilkinson, Amy Brooks, Connie Elek, and Lois Griffin are showcased along with works from Woodbridge and Perth Amboy school district art students. Select pieces will be displayed on the medical center’s concourse and be available for purchase until Monday, June 13.  For more information, or to make a donation, call 732-324-5374.

“We are so happy to support our community and honor Rozalia, a leader who has given so much back to our community,” said Executive Vice President, Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation Nancy Barone.

The medical center opened a new Center for Women in its Perth Amboy hospital, as part of the new Outpatient and Imaging Suites in its newly renovated Blue Wing.  The new center complements the medical center’s longstanding Old Bridge location. Both provide diagnosis and treatment for women’s specific needs, but the Perth Amboy location is one of only a few New Jersey sites providing breast MRI imaging and MRI-guided biopsy in combination. Additionally, women’s healthcare company Hologic has recognized RBMC as a Pink Ribbon FacilityTM certifying that the medical center provides its patients the best possible imaging technology for the earliest possible detection of breast cancer. To schedule an appointment, call 732-324-5270. For more information, visit www.rbmc.org.

 -RBMC-