(Courtesy of St. Mary’s General Hospital) Dr. Sonia Mehta, CEO, Region II, and corporate chief medical officer, who oversees Prime Healthcare’s three hospitals in NJ—St. Mary’s General Hospital, Passaic; St. Michael’s Medical Center, Newark; St. Clare’s Hospitals, of Dover, Denville and Boonton—was featured in new a video1 where she discussed the steps Prime’s hospitals have taken in New Jersey in the post-COVID-19 environment. Dr. Mehta is a board-certified internist and is a member of Gov. Murphy’s Restart and Recovery Commission.
“We want to discuss what our hospitals have been doing in New Jersey, so that you are safe when you come to one of our hospitals,” said Dr. Mehta. “We have been through a lot the past few months dealing with COVID-19 and I want to thank our healthcare heroes and salute you for your dedication and commitment in saving patients’ lives.”
We are now open for elective procedures and surgeries. We know healthcare cannot wait, and we will carefully monitor our facilities, patients and visitors. Anyone who walks into one of our hospitals will be asked a series of questions to make sure they are not exposed to COVID-19 and their temperature will be taken with a non-contact, infrared thermometer.
Everyone must wear a mask at all times, and you will have to practice social distancing. Our waiting rooms have been rearranged so that you will not be sitting within six feet of another patient.
Anyone scheduled for surgery will be required to answer a series of questions related to COVID-19 and a COVID-19 test will be given 48-72 hours before the procedure.
We have a separate isolation unit just for COVID-19 patients, and patients without COVID-19 will remain separate at all times when they are in the hospital. We also have a transitional floor for patients suspected of having COVID-19. All of our healthcare workers are screened daily for COVID-19 symptoms. While we are restricting visitors, we will make allowances on a case-by-case basis.
Prime Healthcare insists on a culture of patient safety at each and every one of our hospitals, which is why Prime Healthcare is one of the most awarded hospitals for patient safety in the nation.
“Take it from me, Dr. Sonia Mehta, you have nothing to fear when you come to one of our hospitals. Don’t put your healthcare on hold any longer.”
Prime Healthcare is an award-winning health system operating 45 hospitals in 14 states with more than 40,000 employees and physicians dedicated to providing the highest quality healthcare. With a history of delivering quality care, Prime Healthcare has been named by Modern Healthcare as “the fastest-growing hospital system” and its hospitals have been featured prominently among the “100 Top Hospitals” in the nation more than 40 times based on quality, and among the “15 Top Health Systems” three times. Prime Healthcare hospitals are annually recognized as “Top Performers on Key Quality Measures” by The Joint Commission. These accolades are a direct result of our commitment to clinical excellence and a unique physician-led model of healthcare delivery.
Prime Healthcare believes that exceptional healthcare should be a part of every community and has a proud history of transforming financially distressed hospitals into thriving community assets. Our growing family of hospitals across the United States are dedicated to improving healthcare and adding value to the lives of patients, physicians, employees and communities.
For additional information please contact the community liaison, George Matyjewicz, PhD, at [email protected]. For more information, please visit www.smh-nj.com. For the latest updates, photos and videos, please follow and like St. Mary’s General Hospital’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/stmarysgeneral.
1 https://youtu.be/wXeMADztnnM
