Local hospitals offer state-of-the-art care

by Anne Levin

Despite its small size, New Jersey boasts more than 75 hospitals and medical centers. An impressive group of them are located in the Central and Northern counties, offering state-of-the-art care in increasingly comfortable, even architecturally distinctive, surroundings. Following is a sampling:

Summit Medical Group MD Anderson Cancer Center
150 Park Avenue, Florham Park
973.404.9944; www.smgcancer.com

Opened this past October, this 130,000-square-foot outpatient cancer facility that is clinically integrated with MD Anderson Cancer Center, the nation’s leading cancer center, boasts the latest technology and advanced treatments including interventional radiology, general X-ray, high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and much more. New radiation oncology techniques and experienced surgeons specializing in many areas of oncology, an infusion floor with 28 suites, and plenty of natural light are among the advances meant to ease the experience of chemotherapy and other treatments. The Summit Medical Group Foundation provides daily lunch, weekly pet therapy, and music programs in the atrium.

New Jersey’s oldest and largest independent multi-specialty physician group, Summit Medical Group also offers four Urgent Care Centers in Berkeley Heights, Florham Park, Livingston, and Westfield. Also part of the group’s offerings are walk-in mammography, orthopedics, and sports injury clinics, after-hours pediatrics, and Saturday walk-in primary care.

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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
136 Mountainview Boulevard, Basking Ridge
908.542.3000; www.mskcc.org

This famed hospital’s locations outside Manhattan include centers in Basking Ridge and Bergen County. All are outpatient facilities offering cancer treatment such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy, and other patient care services such as radiology, social work, consults with surgeons, and more.

Hackensack Meridian Health Mountainside Medical Center
1 Bay Avenue, Montclair
973.429.6000; www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org

This center, which recently merged with Carrier Clinic, began as a three-story cottage in 1891 with a mission of “caring for, curing, and nurturing the sick and injured.” Today, the 820,000-square-foot hospital with 365 beds keeps abreast of state-of-the-art technology while also offering approaches such as its holistic mind-body women’s program.

Atlantic Health System
855.862.2278; www.atlantichealth.org

Atlantic Health System includes six hospitals under its aegis: Overlook Medical Center, Morristown Medical Center, Goryeb Children’s Hospital, Chilton Medical Center, Hackettstown Medical Center, and Newton Medical Center.

Overlook Medical Center in Summit is home to some of the state’s top doctors, offering cutting-edge research, advanced technology, and treatments in a compassionate environment. The Atlantic Neuroscience Institute is the region’s leader in neuroscience care, with a broad range of advanced neurological, neurosurgical, and neurodiagnostic services. More brain tumor surgeries are performed there than anywhere else in New Jersey.

Morristown Medical Center in Morristown has been designated a Magnet Hospital for Excellence in Nursing Service, and last year was the only hospital in New Jersey and one of 12 in the U.S. to receive three additional top honors. The medical center is home to the largest cardiac surgery program in New Jersey, and the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center was honored in 2016 with an Outstanding Achievement Award from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.

Goryeb Children’s Hospital, part of the Morristown Medical Center, has more than 250 pediatricians on staff and more than 100 board-certified pediatric specialists. The hospital specializes in pediatric cancer and is currently adding inpatient beds to its pediatric intensive care unit. There are rooms for parents so they can stay with their children during treatment, and a dedicated pharmacy is on site.

Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains was named the top mid-sized hospital in New Jersey for 2018, according to Castle Connolly Medical, Ltd. Stroke and cancer care, maternity services, weight loss and bariatric surgery, and heart care are among the areas in which the medical center is highly rated.

Primarily serving Warren, Sussex and Morris Counties, Hackettstown Medical Center offers a wide range of services including everything from preventive services and outpatient testing to care for minor injuries and life-threatening illnesses. Hackettstown maintains several designations, including Primary Stroke Center from both the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and The Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification Program.

Since 1932, Newton Medical Center has been providing care to the people of Sussex and Warren counties in New Jersey. It is home to the Center for Breast Health, the only one of its kind in Sussex County, addressing all of a woman’s breast health needs with state-of-the-art technology, resources, education, support, and follow-up care.

Last year, the nonprofit health care watchdog Leapfrog Group evaluated 68 hospitals across the nation. In the category of protecting patients from harm, the Garden State jumped from 22nd to 15th on the list. But patient safety is only one of the categories in which New Jersey hospitals and medical centers stay ahead of the curve.