By making an appointment to donate blood during our blood drive you’re helping our main blood supplier, Central Jersey Blood Center maintain adequate supplies of blood for our patients and for use during emergency situations.

Raritan Bay Medical Center in collaboration with Central Jersey Blood Center sponsors blood drives at the Medical Center to help Central Jersey Blood Center maintain adequate blood supply in their inventory in order to meet our patients’ needs. Traditionally blood supply is at its lowest point during the first few months of the New Year largely due to the holiday and flu season.

The Facts…

• Blood donation is a safe and easy way to save lives.
• Most healthy individuals who weigh 110 lbs. or more, ages 17 to 66 and have never had hepatitis are good candidates to give blood.
• It is not possible to acquire any disease through the donation process.
• The process used to draw blood (Phlebotomy) is monitored through strict guidelines set by the Federal Food & Drug Administration, the State Health Department, the American Association of Blood Banks, the College of American Pathology and the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Hospitals.

There are three different types of donations

• Allogeneic is a general donation made for anyone
• Autogeneic is saving blood for oneself
• Directed is made by someone for a friend or family member

How to Donate Blood at Raritan bay Medical Center;

• Prospective donors should eat four hours prior to the visit and should avoid fatty foods.
• Before donating a registration card must be completed, which includes a medical history. Temperature, blood pressure, pulse and hemoglobin (amount of respiratory protein present in red blood cells) are taken.
• The entire donation process takes one hour to complete.
• Donors give a little less than 1 pint of blood, which is typed, tested for pathogens (disease) and separated into red cells and plasma.
• A card is sent to your home to announce blood type.

Blood drives are usually conducted between 9 and 5 pm.

For Autologous donations or to donate at anytime other than our regularly scheduled blood drive, call 732.842.1570 for an appointment.

Your Privacy

“We Take Pride in Caring About Your Privacy”

Here at Raritan Bay Medical Center, we are dedicated to protecting the privacy of your medical information while providing you with the highest quality medical care. This Notice:

• Explains how we use and share your protected health information (PHI),

• Describes your rights regarding your PHI, and

• Outlines how you can exercise those rights.

Who is required to abide by this Notice?

* Employees, staff, students, volunteers, clergy, physicians and clinical staff,

* All hospital departments and units, and

* All individuals authorized to enter information in your medical chart.

This Notice applies to Raritan Bay Medical Center at our Old Bridge Division and our Perth Amboy Division, Raritan Management Corporation, Raritan Bay Health Services Corporation, Respond Ambulance Service, Joseph S. Yewaisis Outpatient Center, Primary Care Physicians, Raritan Bay Pediatrics, Addiction Treatment Services & Methadone Clinic, Women’s Center, Sleep Center and the Charles E. Gregory School of Nursing. The individuals and entities listed above, at all listed locations, may share PHI with each other for the purposes outlined in this notice. Your doctor may have different privacy policies and practices relating to PHI created or received by his or her practice.

We are required by law to:

* Maintain the privacy of your PHI,

* Provide you with this Notice to describe how we do that,

* Advise you of your rights with regard to your PHI, and

* Abide by the terms described in the version of this Notice currently in effect.

WE MAY USE OR SHARE YOUR PHI ONLY FOR THESE PURPOSES:

Treatment – We may use and share your PHI with doctors, nurses and other clinical professionals who are directly or indirectly involved in providing for your care. For example, we may share your PHI with a reference laboratory to help us reach a diagnosis. We will provide additional protections to your PHI related to treatment for mental health, alcohol and substance abuse and HIV/AIDS.

Payment – We may use and share your PHI for the purposes of obtaining payment for the health care products and services you receive from us. For example, we may contact your health insurance company to verify that you are entitled to benefits, or we may share details regarding your treatment with a third party payer in order to bill for and collect the fees associated with your treatment.

Health Care Operations – We may use and share your PHI as necessary to run our facilities and to ensure that all patients receive the highest quality of care. For example, we may use your PHI to evaluate the quality of care you receive from us, to create a learning experience for a clinical professional, or to conduct a cost management analysis. When we share your PHI with an outside party to perform these services, we will do so subject to a written contract that requires that the information be kept confidential.

Value-Added Patient Outreach – We may use your PHI to contact you about an appointment reminder, an alternative treatment for your condition, or other health related services that may be of interest to you.

Directory – We may use the following information to maintain our hospital directory: your name, your location, your general condition expressed as one word (e.g., good, fair),and your religious affiliation. Unless you object, we may provide this information to members of the clergy and we may provide your location and general condition to any individual who asks for you by name. You may object to this use of your PHI in writing through our registrar.

To Family and Individuals Involved in Your Care – Unless you object, we may share with your family member, other relative or your close personal friend, the PHI directly related to that person’s involvement with your care, or payment for your healthcare. We may also use your PHI to notify family of your location, condition or death. If you are present, you may object orally to a disclosure to a family member or friend. For example, you may ask a doctor to refrain from sharing certain information while family members or friends are at your bedside.

For Disaster Relief – Unless you object, we may share your PHI with an entity assisting in disaster relief efforts, in order for your family to be able to locate you or learn of your condition. Even if you object, we may not be able to honor your request if we believe that it interferes with our ability to respond appropriately to the emergency or disaster condition.

Fundraising – We may share your contact information with Raritan Bay Healthcare Foundation to reach out to you for the purpose of raising funds for our hospitals.

As Required By Law – We may share your PHI as the law requires with regard to abuse, neglect or domestic violence, in response to a court order, valid subpoena or as otherwise required by state, federal or local law.

Public Health Activities – We may share your PHI for public health activities. Examples include disease reporting, birth and death recording, reporting adverse reactions or product defects to the FDA, to enable product recall or replacement. We may also share PHI if we believe you have been exposed to a contagious disease, or if you may be at risk of spreading one. We may share PHI with your employer if we are treating you at your employer’s request and it is in relation to a work related illness or injury.

Health Oversight Activities – We may share your PHI with an oversight agency, as required by law. Examples include audits, civil investigations, inspections and licensure activities. These activities are intended to oversee our health care system and government benefit programs and to protect your civil rights.

Law Enforcement Purposes – We may share your PHI as the law requires with regard to the reporting of certain types of injuries, in response to a court order or grand jury subpoena. We may release limited information to assist law enforcement in locating a fugitive, suspect or missing person. We may share your PHI with law enforcement officials if we believe you are the victim of a crime, and you do not object. We may share PHI if we suspect that a crime has been committed on our premises.

Coroners, Funeral Directors and Organ, Tissue and Eye Donation Entities – We may share your PHI in order to confirm identity, determine cause of death, or for the purposes of facilitating organ, tissue and eye donations and transplants.

Research – We may share your PHI with researchers when authorized by law, for example, if the research proposal was reviewed and approved by our Institutional Review Board and safeguards are established to ensure the privacy of your PHI. In most cases, however, we will obtain your written authorization before your PHI is shared for research purposes.

To Avert a Serious Threat to Health and Safety – We may use and share your PHI if we believe that doing so is necessary to avoid a serious threat to your personal health or safety, or to the health or safety of another individual.

Specialized Government Functions – If you are a member of domestic or foreign armed forces, we may share your PHI with authorized military command authorities. We may also share your PHI for national security activities, to provide protective services for the President of the United States or to a correctional institution if you are an inmate of that institution.

Workers’ Compensation – We may share your PHI, as required by law, with programs that provide benefits for work-related illnesses and injuries.

With Your Expressed Authorization – You may permit the sharing of your PHI with any outside party by signing an authorization form. You may revoke your authorization at any time, in writing.

YOU HAVE RIGHTS WITH REGARD TO YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION. SPECIFICALLY, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO:

Receive a Copy of this Notice – You have the right to receive a paper copy of this notice upon request, even if you have chosen to receive the notice electronically. Any of our registrars will be happy to provide you with this paper notice. It is also available on our website. www.rbmc.org

Access Your PHI – You have the right to review and obtain a copy of your PHI we keep for the purpose of making decisions about your care. Your written request should be directed to our medical records department on a request form provided for your convenience. In rare cases, we may deny your request to access your record. In such a case, you have the right to appeal our decision to a reviewing official. We will abide by the decision made by the reviewing official. If you request a copy of your PHI, we may charge a fee to cover the costs of copying, postage or preparation of explanation or summary of the PHI.

Receive Confidential Communications From Us – You may request that we communicate with you in a confidential way by providing an alternative address or telephone number. You may do so orally during the registration process, or in writing at any time. Your request should be directed to the attention of our admissions registrar. You do not have to give us a reason. We will honor all reasonable requests.

Amend Your PHI – You have the right to an accurate and complete medical record. You may request that we amend any PHI we keep for the purpose of making decisions about your care, for as long as we keep that PHI. We ask that you make your request in writing to our director of medical records, and that you provide a reason for your request. We will give our serious consideration to all requests. We are not required to agree to all requested amendments, however, we will communicate with you in writing if we deny your request, and will explain the reason for our denial and your right of appeal.

Request Restrictions on Certain Uses and Disclosures of Your PHI – You have the right to request that we restrict the use and disclosure of your PHI for treatment, payment or healthcare operations. We are not required to agree to your requested restrictions. Even if we agree to your request, in certain situations your restrictions may not be followed. These situations include emergency treatment and disclosures to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. You may address your written request for a restriction to our privacy officer.

Receive an Accounting of Disclosures – You have the right to see a list of the entities with which we shared your PHI, going back six years from the date of your request. The list will not include routine disclosures for treatment, payment or operations purposes, disclosures that you authorized or disclosures made before April 14, 2003, but it will include most of the other disclosures outlined in this Notice. Your request for this list should be made in writing to the attention of our medical records director. In most cases, we will provide you with the list within 30 days.

If you have questions about the content of this Notice, or believe your privacy rights have been violated, please contact us at the address below. We pledge to use your comments for performance and process improvement only; you will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint. You also have the right to complain to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Privacy Officer

Raritan Bay Medical Center

530 New Brunswick Avenue

Perth Amboy, NJ 08861

(732) 324-6062

Fax (732) 324-4979

privacyofficer@rbmc.org

http://www.rbmc.org

The effective date of this Notice is April 14, 2003. We reserve the right to make changes to this Notice, and to make the new Notice provisions effective for all PHI we maintain. We will post the new Notice prominently in our offices and electronically on our web site. Paper copies of the revised Notice will be available through our registrars and our Privacy Office.

RARITAN BAY MEDICAL CENTER

“We Take Pride in Caring About Your Privacy”

Cardiology Diagnostic & Treatment Center

Exceptional Care a Heartbeat Away

Heart disease is the single leading killer in the United States, striking 1.2 million people and accounting for one in five deaths each year. On the brighter side, however, more people are surviving the disease today due to monumental advances in prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Raritan Bay Medical Center has been on the forefront of these breakthroughs, providing the community with a comprehensive, world-class cardiovascular program. Our Cardiology Diagnostic & Treatment Center, coupled with exceptional emergency and support services, ensures area residents have access to life-saving angioplasty, drug therapy and other critical interventions. We’ve built our stellar reputation upon the premise that minutes always count, so patients at Raritan Bay Medical Center can rest assured that exceptional cardiac care is a heartbeat away regardless of the day of the week, we are here 24/7.

Exceptional Standards of Care

Raritan Bay Medical Center’s Cardiology Diagnostic & Treatment Center is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and licensed by the New Jersey Department of Health. The medical center is a designated teaching institution for therapists and maintains affiliations with several major universities and colleges, including University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), Seton Hall University, Columbia University, Boston University, Quinnipiac University, Syracuse University, City University of NY-Hunter College, Widener University, Newmann College, Union County College and Essex County College.

Emergency Care

When someone is experiencing chest pain or cardiac arrest, medical care often begins before the patient reaches the hospital. Raritan Bay Medical Center’s Mobile Intensive Care Unit responds to thousands of 911 calls in Middlesex County. The fleet’s certified paramedics are trained to administer electrical defibrillation, intravenous therapy and other procedures at the scene of an emergency, while working with physicians to expedite hospital treatment, including cardiac catheterizations and angioplasty.

Patients exhibiting warning signs of heart attack are promptly triaged to the Emergency Department’s Chest Pain Center, where they are closely monitored and assessed by a team of board-certified emergency physicians, cardiologists and registered nurses. Under the hospital’s stringent protocols, potential heart attack victims receive priority for surgical and non-invasive diagnostic testing to facilitate treatment and ultimately prevent irreparable heart muscle damage.

Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory

The cornerstone of Raritan Bay Medical Center’s Cardiology and Diagnostic Treatment Center is its full service Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. Housed on the Perth Amboy campus, the facility is equipped with state-of-the-art digital imaging technology that allows physicians to view the heart’s blood flow and vessels so they can accurately diagnose coronary artery disease, valve disease and congenital heart anomalies. The Lab is available around-the-clock and is expertly run by a highly experienced team of interventional cardiologists, registered nurses and cardiovascular technologists. Over 1,000 cases are performed annually.

Angioplasty

Raritan Bay Medical Center is among a select group of New Jersey hospitals approved by the State Health Commissioner to perform both primary and elective angioplasty. Primary angioplasty, regarded as the gold standard, most effective intervention for heart attacks, is used to open clogged arteries and restore blood flow within 90 minutes of a patient’s arrival at the hospital. This is accomplished by inserting a balloon into the blocked arteries followed by a stent, in some cases, to keep the arteries clear. The technique halts or prevents the potentially deadly consequences of heart attack while facilitating the best possible patient outcomes.

Non-Invasive Diagnostic Tools

Raritan Bay Medical Center employs a vast range of non-invasive diagnostic tools for detecting and managing heart disease. It is one of only a few hospitals in the country to use three-dimensional echocardiography ensuring the most vivid, accurate images for cardiovascular studies. The facility performs over 20,000 procedures annually, with a full complement of tests that include:

• electrocardiograms

• echocardiograms

• cardiac stress tests

• holter monitoring

• nuclear stress tests

• signal-average electrocardiograms

• transesophogeal echocardiograms

• ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

• cardiac event recording

CCU/ICU/ACU

Cardiac patients requiring hospitalization are transferred to the Medical Center’s Critical Care Unit or dedicated Angioplasty Care Unit, where they remain under the watchful eye of registered nurses who are specially trained and credentialed in cardiovascular care.

The Cardiac Club

The Cardiac Club at Raritan Bay Medical Center promotes cardiovascular health through monthly support and education meetings. The group is open to former cardiac patients and their families as well as members of the community, offering a valuable forum for sharing concerns and strategies for living with heart disease. The meetings are free of charge and held at the Perth Amboy campus. For more information about The Cardiac Club, please call 732.324.5178.

Know the early warning signs of heart attack

When it comes to a heart attack, time lost is muscle lost. Recognize the early warning signs to avoid irreparable heart damage:

• Chest discomfort that lasts several minutes or occurs intermittently. It may feel like pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.

• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body, such as the arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach.

• Shortness of Breath.

• Nausea, lightheadedness or a cold sweat.

If you or someone you’re with has chest discomfort, especially with one or more of the other signs, don’t wait longer than five minutes before calling 9-1-1.