(Courtesy of St. Mary’s General Hospital) On the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA) site1 they state: “Our everyday lives have changed this year. However, the process of taking care of our healthcare needs should not. NJ hospitals are safe, secure, and we are here to care for you NOW.”
So, what’s holding you back? Why are you putting off your medical exams or treatments? Between September 8-18, the NJHA conducted a Health Attitudes2 survey among New Jersey residents aged 50+ with the goal of measuring their concerns, comfort level with current measures, and their plans (if any) to resume medical procedures and treatments in a hospital.
The Results
Seventeen percent of New Jersey adults are “not concerned” about contracting the coronavirus in hospitals. However, 83% of adults are “concerned” about the risk on some level, ranging from “not very” to “very” concerned. Of those surveyed, those aged 50-64 were more concerned (54%) than those aged 65 and over (43%).
And the consumers’ comfort levels ranged from 66%-82% depending upon the measure.
Overall, we see that the New Jersey public is comfortable with the safety measures currently in place within the hospital system. However, there is still a concern with the overall risk of COVID-19.
Now there is one very important factor to consider. New Jersey hospitals safely cared for 350,000 people with non-COVID-19 needs at the pandemic height in March and April. In April, COVID-19 patients represented 20% of the total number of patients. In September, COVID-19 admissions represented less than 5% of patients in New Jersey hospitals.
At St. Mary’s General Hospital we take patient safety very seriously, as evidenced by Healthgrades 2020 Patient Safety Excellence Awardtm, where we rank among the top 5% of all short-term acute care hospitals reporting patient safety data as evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading resource that connects consumers, physicians and health systems3. And our culture comes from the top as a member of Prime Healthcare, which operates 45 hospitals in 14 states, and has more Patient Safety Excellence Award recipients for five consecutive years (2016-2020) than any other health system in the country, according to Healthgrades.
“This award is yet another sign of how seriously we take safety in general, but especially so during the COVID pandemic,” says Edward J. Condit, president and CEO of St. Mary’s General Hospital. “Because of our strict adherence to safety and infection control guidelines, St. Mary’s General Hospital is open and ready to take care of patients from the most urgent cases to elective procedures.”
Don’t Wait.
One of our directors at St. Mary’s General Hospital contributed to the NJHA article: “A colonoscopy is a procedure many people would prefer to skip—and I thought about skipping it too since I could use the excuse of COVID-19. But I work at St. Mary’s General Hospital and know how many safety measures all New Jersey hospitals have taken to keep people safe. I realized that the risk of COVID-19 was small in comparison to the risk of not getting this important test. And I was right: I found out that I have a condition that will have to be monitored over the next several years. I don’t even want to think about what the results might have been if I had waited any longer. Being braver than COVID-19 probably saved my life. Ask about safety measures, get the facts and get the care you need.”
“To paraphrase CEO Ed Condit: Your safety and wellbeing is our top priority,” said George Matyjewicz, PhD, community liaison at St. Mary’s General Hospital. “We are taking all necessary measures and precautions to protect the safety of our patients and staff. We specialize in the care of patients with complex illnesses and have experience with managing and containing novel viruses. At our website you will find “COVID-19 Patient & Visitor Information4” that provides the latest hospital updates and the most accurate resources from the CDC5 and NJ Department of Health6. You can also find “Robby,”7 an online self-checker for the novel coronavirus. Robby walks users through symptoms and then gives recommendations if medical care is needed. ROBBY IS NOT INTENDED TO BE USED FOR DIAGNOSIS OR TREATMENT PURPOSES.”
If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, such as severe shortness of breath or high fever, call Hatzolah immediately.
St. Mary’s General Hospital—nationally recognized, locally preferred—is among the top hospitals in America for health, quality and patient safety! A center of excellence for maternal-child, the hospital has over 550 physicians and 1,200 employees, with every staff member committed to providing respectful, personalized, high-quality care to satisfy patients’ needs and exceed their expectations. To learn more about how St. Mary’s General Hospital visit https://www.smh-nj.com/ or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StMarysGeneral.
For more information, please contact George Matyjewicz, PhD, community liaison at [email protected].
1 https://www.getcarenownj.com/
2 https://www.getcarenownj.com/survey-outcomes/
3 “Consumers might not know that information around patient safety is readily available and should be considered when researching healthcare options,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Healthgrades. https://www.healthgrades.com/
5 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
7 https://phshealthbotprod.azurefd.net/
