Englewood Health Nationally Recognized as a Best Maternity Care Hospital by Newsweek

Posted on by Lauren Weaver

July 27, 2020 — Englewood Health has been named to Newsweek’s 2020 list of Best Maternity Care Hospitals. The distinction recognizes facilities that have excelled in providing care to mothers, newborns, and their families, as verified by the 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Survey. Best Maternity Care Hospitals is part of Newsweek’s Best Health Care series, powered by data from The Leapfrog Group. 

“Being recognized as one of the Best Maternity Care Hospitals in the nation reflects the dedication of our entire team’s commitment to providing the highest quality, personalized care for our patients,” says Kathleen Kaminsky, MS, RN, NE-BC, senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Englewood Health. “At Englewood Health, we aim to meet and exceed families’ expectations to provide the best possible birthing experience.”

Hospitals named as a Best Maternity Care Hospital have fully met The Leapfrog Group’s standards for maternity care on evidence-based, nationally standardized metrics. This includes lower rates of early elective delivery, NTSV C-section, and episiotomy, as well as compliance with process measures including newborn bilirubin screening prior to discharge and blood clot prevention techniques for mothers delivering via C-section.

At the Family Birth Place at Englewood Health, mom and baby receive expert care and attention, as well as a full spectrum of services including prenatal care, high-risk testing and monitoring, childbirth education, and post-pregnancy resources and support. Maternal-fetal medicine specialists who have completed advanced training in the treatment of high-risk pregnancies, are available on-site to care for high-risk mothers and newborns and provide timely, high-quality care in the modern neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

“Best Maternity Care Hospitals showcases an elite group of hospitals from across the country” said Nancy Cooper, Global Editor in Chief of Newsweek. “These facilities stand out for the care they provide to women and families, and for giving babies a strong start to life. Particularly in these uncertain times, we are honored to share this list of top-ranked facilities with Newsweek’s readership.” Englewood Health was one of fewer than 250 to receive the prestigious accolade. The full list of recipients will appear in the July 24 edition of Newsweek, available online and at newsstands nationwide.

Englewood Hospital’s Maternal/Child Health Service Achieves Healthgrades Recognition Five Years in a Row

Posted on by John Williams

August 11, 2020 — Englewood Health has received the Healthgrades 2020 Obstetrics and Gynecology Excellence Award™, Labor and Delivery Excellence Award™, 5-star recognition for vaginal delivery and 5-star recognition for C-section delivery, all for five years in a row. The Labor and Delivery Excellence Award™ places Englewood Health in the top 5% of all hospitals evaluated and recognizes the exceptional care of mothers during and after labor and delivery, according to Healthgrades, the leading resource that connects consumers, physicians, and health systems.

In addition, the Obstetrics and Gynecology Excellence Award™ recognizes Englewood Health for exceptional care of mothers during and after labor and delivery, as well as care of women undergoing gynecologic procedures. Englewood Health is in the top 10% of hospitals evaluated for this award.

“Earning these Healthgrades awards over the past five years reflects the dedication of our team members to provide personalized, high-quality care to women before and throughout the labor and delivery experience,” said Kathleen Kaminsky, MS, RN, NE-BC, senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Englewood Health.

At the Family Birth Place at Englewood Health, mom and baby receive expert care and attention, as well as a full spectrum of services including prenatal care, high-risk testing and monitoring, childbirth education, and post-pregnancy resources and support.

“Today, expectant parents are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of hospital quality and understand that it needs to play a factor in selecting where to deliver their baby,” said Brad Bowman, MD, chief medical officer at Healthgrades. “The 2020 Labor and Delivery Excellence Award™ recognizes those hospitals that provide high-quality care for mothers during labor and delivery, so parents can have confidence in their decision.”

“Our staff is dedicated to ensuring that mothers and babies throughout our community experience exceptional care at Englewood Hospital, and we are proud to receive this recognition,” said Jamie Ketas, vice president of quality at Englewood Health.

To help consumers evaluate and compare hospital performance in labor and delivery, Healthgrades analyzed patient outcomes data for virtually every hospital in each of the 16 states that provide all-payer state data for years 2016 through 2018. Healthgrades found that the variation in hospital performance makes a significant difference in terms of clinical outcomes:

  • From 2016 through 2018, patients treated in hospitals receiving the Healthgrades Labor and Delivery Excellence Award™ had, on average, a 40% lower risk of experiencing a complication while in the hospital than if they were treated in hospitals that did not receive the award.*
  • During this time, if all hospitals in the analysis performed similarly to those that received the Healthgrades 2020 Obstetrics and Gynecology Excellence Award™, 141,823 patients with complications could have potentially been avoided.*

View Healthgrades hospital quality awards and methodologies.

Learn more about how hospitals partner with Healthgrades.

*Healthgrades analysis is based on more than 45 million Medicare medical claims records for the most recent three-year time period available from nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide.

Englewood Health’s Emergency Medical Services receives American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Plus Recognition Award

Posted on by Lauren Weaver

August 5, 2020 — Englewood Health’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) team has once again received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold Plus Award for implementing quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who experience life-threatening heart attacks.

“Earning the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold Plus Award for the fourth consecutive year speaks to the continued dedication of the entire Emergency Medical Services team at Englewood Health to providing the highest level of care to our community members,” said Rick Sposa, director of emergency medical services at Englewood Health.

Every year more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the deadliest type of heart attack, caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it is critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.

“EMTs and paramedics play a vital part in the system of care for those who have heart attacks,” said Tim Henry, MD, Chair of the Mission: Lifeline Acute Coronary Syndrome Subcommittee. “Since they often are the first medical point of contact, they can save precious minutes of treatment time by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals to an incoming heart attack patient. We applaud Englewood Health EMS for achieving this award in following evidence-based guidelines in the treatment of people who have severe heart attacks.”

Lifeline’s EMS recognition program recognizes emergency medical services for their efforts in improving systems of care to rapidly identify suspected heart attack patients, promptly notify the medical center, and trigger an early response from the awaiting hospital personnel.

Lifeline initiative provides tools, training and other resources to support heart attack care following protocols from evidence-based treatment guidelines.

Englewood Health Donates Thermometers to Bergen Family Center

Posted on by Lauren Weaver

In an effort to help the local community adjust to a new normal in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Englewood Health continues its ongoing relationship with Englewood’s Bergen Family Center—Bergen County’s oldest continuously operating family service agency—as it plans to reopen its daycare to provide working families with childcare services. With the regulations, restrictions, and expenses necessary, the center wasn’t sure when or how it would be able to open its doors. Typically serving around 180 children, the daycare program will open on August 4 and care for approximately 40 children, less than a third of its usual volume. Maintaining contact with the center’s staff to assess its needs throughout the pandemic, Englewood Health donated temporal thermometers for contactless temperature monitoring to facilitate the program reopening. Gift cards for food donation were also donated to aid those served by the Bergen Family Center, and the health system is presently providing a virtual yoga program to its children throughout the summer.

Helpful Tips for Parents on Getting Through the Summer

Posted on by Lauren Weaver

This summer, there is more pressure on parents than ever. Quarantining at home has presented challenges for all of us, and parents may find themselves feeling overwhelmed trying to keep up with the demands of everyday life. Just as prioritizing our physical health is important, tending to the mental health and emotional wellbeing of ourselves and our children is vital.  

“For parents, it is essential to recognize and accept that if you can provide your children with a sense of love and security, everything else is secondary,” says Jennifer Yanowitz, LCSW, an Englewood Health social worker who focuses on community development. “If you are giving your kids that—they have enough.” She offers these helpful tips for parents on getting through the summer: 

Model the Behavior You Want to See 

Parents set the tone for the family. Your energy, your body language, help to shape what your children are taking in and how they respond to what we are experiencing in 2020. Model the behavior you want them to reflect. For example, try to exhibit calm; reinforce the message that this is temporary. 

Now is a great time to teach your children positive ways to deal with challenges. Ultimately, they will develop a healthy attitude, as well as coping skills for dealing with stress and the ability to talk about their feelings. These resiliency skills will last them for life.  

Acknowledge Their Experiences  

Right now, children may be experiencing a range of emotions they are not yet able to describe. Monitor your children’s behaviors and actions. The grief and loss they are facing may manifest as anger, over- or under- eating, irritability, oversleeping, or other behaviors. Parents can acknowledge the experience and help children put words to their emotions. Talk with your children about how they are feeling and encourage them to make the connections.  

Focus on Routine and Socialization 

Two of the most important elements for a healthy childhood are routine and socialization. Here are three ways parents can maintain a routine and introduce activities that support the whole family this summer: 

  • Schedule FaceTime or Zoom calls for your children with their friends; they can have lunch or play games together. 
  • Organize an outside playdate with another family, while social distancing responsibly, depending on your family’s level of comfort. 
  • One parent can take a child on a walk with another parent/child team. This can be a great way to get out of the house for fresh air, get some exercise, and have a shared experience. 

When you are going through hard times, it can feel like an eternity. Ask yourself, what are the silver linings here? We can grow in the face of adversity. Eventually, this difficult period will come to an end, even for those who have been personally affected by COVID-19. What do you want this experience to have been for you and your family? How do you want your children to remember it? 

Posted July 27, 2020

Englewood Health and Office of Concern Feed Community during COVID-19

Posted on by Lauren Weaver

July 23, 2020 — This month Englewood Health partnered with the Office of Concern Food Pantry at Saint Cecilia in Englewood to address the challenges of food insecurity and the growing hunger epidemic amid the COVID-19 crisis. As a result of reduced income, unemployment, product shortage, and increasing cost, many vulnerable households in northern New Jersey have limited access to affordable, nutritious food.

To meet the needs of the local community, Englewood Health purchased 2,000 pounds of chicken breast from Tony’s Fish, its meat supplier of several decades, and delivered to the Office of Concern for distribution to families in need in northern New Jersey including low-income workers, retirees, and those struggling to feed babies and small children. Each family received a three-pound pack of chicken breast on the bone.

Second Opinion Podcast: Stress and Anxiety Management

Posted on by John Williams
Second Opinion Podcast

A discussion with Dr. Stephen Brunnquell and Danielle Lambert, Manager of Behavioral Health, Englewood Health.

In times of crisis, feeling anxious and stressed is normal. Englewood Health’s Dr. Steven Brunquell and Manager of Behavioral Health, Danielle Lambert, discuss signs of anxiety to look for — in yourself and your loved ones. And, in this edition of Second Opinion, they explore coping skills that can significantly reduce stress.

Listen Now

Published on July 20, 2020

Ways for Teens to Stay Emotionally Healthy This Summer

Posted on by Lauren Weaver

Let’s face it, much has changed in 2020. With so much uncertainty these days, you may be experiencing emotions you find hard to understand or don’t yet have the skills to manage. The cancellation of many of the usual summer activities, the absence of sports, and the inability to see friends in person, among other pressures, have caused many teens to experience feelings of loss, as well as anger, frustration, grieving, loneliness, and sadness. Yet there are effective ways to deal with these feelings. 

Darline Jerez, LCSW, an Englewood Health population health social worker who focuses on community health, offers these tips to our community’s teens for navigating the summer. 

1. Keep a routine. It is helpful for everyone—children and adolescents, as well as adults—to have a routine and to allocate time to a variety of activities. Create a plan that centers on being healthy and connected. A daily schedule doesn’t always have to look the same. Be flexible and give yourself something to look forward to each day: get outside, connect with family and friends, make time for yourself, make time for fun, and—especially—create moments of joy throughout the day. 

2. Practice healthy habits. Our habits influence our mood. Getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and exercising foster wellness. Exercise can improve one’s mood and minimize feelings of depression.  

3. Maintain a healthy attitude. Stay positive. A positive mindset will allow you to see circumstances in a different way, to find the good in what is happening around you. Those should be your “go-to thoughts” when you feel overwhelmed with negative feelings. 

4. Welcome support. Some teens are experiencing a mental heaviness during these times, while others are moving forward more easily. Your parents and other adults can support your emotional development by checking in with you, validating your feelings, and being present.  

5. Accept your own pace. Wherever you are in the process—shock, anger, or adapting and growing—recognize that it is natural to feel such emotions. Everyone must go through their own healing process.  

6. Know when to seek professional help. Most important, if behavioral or emotional difficulties are interfering with your daily functioning, tell your parents you’d like to speak with your pediatrician (or other healthcare provider) or with a mental health professional.  

Posted July 20, 2020

Feeling Anxious? Focus on These Grounding Techniques

Posted on by Lauren Weaver

Feeling anxious? You are not alone. These days, many of us are experiencing some level of anxiety, the body’s natural physical response to stress or fear. Techniques that can help us manage anxiety can be especially beneficial. 

Grounding is a coping skill that helps to distract one’s attention away from negative or challenging emotions. It is particularly helpful for managing short-term anxiety. By focusing our attention on what we are doing instead of on our anxiety, grounding techniques help us to move more into the present. Here are some particularly good grounding techniques: 

Focus on Your Five Senses 

  • Sight: Conjure up an image in your head—a happy place, a visual that is comforting for you. Perhaps you see yourself relaxing by a pool or sitting on a beach. Visualization can be especially useful at night, when many of us struggle these days with falling asleep.
  • Hearing: Focus your mind on soothing sounds. Wear earphones and listen to a waterfall or your favorite music. Try using a white noise machine or turning on a fan. If there are birds outside, focus on their calls. 
  • Smell: Focus on a smell you like. Perhaps spray some perfume or light a scented candle (though not when trying to fall asleep).  
  • Taste: Practice mindful eating. Try something simple like a glass of juice. Notice how it feels in your mouth. Does it feel cool? Refreshing? Or perhaps savor a piece of chocolate. Focus on the taste, the texture, the sweetness. 
  • Touch:  Perhaps touch a pet. Notice how the fur feels. Is it warm from the sun? Is it soft or coarse? Focus on the feel of a fabric, perhaps a favorite sweatshirt or sweater.  

An effective variation on focusing on the senses is the  5-4-3-2-1 coping technique: Name five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste.  

Also helpful are deep breathing exercises, ideally done while seated or lying down. Breathing slowly, allow the belly to fully expand as you inhale and then deflate as you exhale. Or try box breathing: Inhale for a count of 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4, then repeat.  

“Practice these grounding techniques when you are not in distress,” says Judith Hart, LCSW, an Englewood Health social worker who focuses on population health and practices at Englewood Health Physician Network – Behavioral Health in Englewood. “If one technique doesn’t work for you, move on to something else. Try to recognize your anxiety early; don’t wait until you are in full-blown distress. Reducing anxiety when it’s at lower levels and more manageable can enable you to keep yourself healthier, both emotionally and physically.” 

She adds, “These are challenging times. Grounding techniques can be useful for coping with short-term anxiety. They take practice, and not every technique works for everyone—find the techniques that work best for you. Most important, if anxiety becomes chronic and interferes with your life such that you can’t work, think, or sleep, it is important that you seek professional help.”

Posted July 13, 2020

Second Opinion Podcast: Create a Routine

Posted on by John Williams
Second Opinion Podcast

A discussion with Dr. Stephen Brunnquell and Dr. Tracy Scheller.

Creating routines. When to eat. When to exercise. When to sleep. Why keeping our daily routines can be a real stress reducer. 

Englewood Health’s experts delve into the importance of creating daily routines and explain why routines can be the foundation for feeling better and reducing stress.

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Published on June 15, 2020