Holy Name Press Releases

HOLY NAME HOSPITAL STATE DESIGNATED MEDICAL COORDINATION CENTER

March 18, 2009

Teaneck, NJ - Holy Name Hospital is a state designated Medical Coordination Center (MCC) for Bergen County, one of only nine designated centers in the New Jersey.  "Our proximity to New York City, dense population, and the potential for hazards in our area," said Thomas Rose, MCC Coordinator at Holy Name Hospital, "make Holy Name an essential part of the MCC network."

With the new George P. Pitkin Emergency Care Center at Holy Name, the hospital has been able to expand and improve services relative to its designation.  The new ER, along with the hospitals Marian Hall Conference Center strategically housed below the ER, is equipped to handle large-scale mass casualty situations with radiation detection and an isolation area for decontamination.  The Conference Center will handle the medical surge of patients during an incident of this type.  The entire facility was created with input from Israeli safety experts along with site visits to their healthcare facilities.

Rose explains that a major role of the MCC is to communicate closely with the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and the State Office of Emergency Management to identify any and all incidents in our service area.  By establishing working relationships with not only hospitals but long term facilities, health departments, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and various Offices of Emergency Management on local, county and state levels we are able to communicate in both directions.  Information from the State gets to our local partners and local information gets to the state level, when applicable.

Holy Name recently sponsored a meeting of the Northeast Region MCC Advisory Committee, which consists of various MCC representatives and emergency management entities including leaders from the police departments, fire departments, health departments and EMS for Bergen, Essex, and Hudson counties. At these quarterly meetings ideas are shared, past and present projects are reviewed and potential future initiatives are discussed.

In past years, with grant monies from the state, Holy Name Hospitals MCC was able to purchase a Smart Board and update our MCC area with state-of-the-art computers, video and radio systems.  "Since communication among our team members as well as other MCCs and representatives is key in emergency situations this leading-edge equipment is priceless," declares Mr. Rose.  The hospital also purchased three mobile IP cameras which can be situated in the field at an incident and be viewed from remote locations.  Holy Name is the first MCC in the state to utilize these mobile IP cameras.  "The IP cameras are extremely important for our role as an MCC," Mr. Rose says.  "It allows us to see what is going on in the field so we know what to expect."

Holy Name Hospital is a fully accredited, not-for-profit, acute care community hospital located in Teaneck, New Jersey. Founded and sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace in 1925, the hospital is now a comprehensive 361-bed medical center offering leading-edge medical practice and technology, administered in an environment rooted in a tradition of compassion and respect for every patient. Affiliation with the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System brings further advantages to our Bergen County community, including access to clinical trials, highly specialized physicians, and expanded opportunities for professional medical education.

Contact:  Nicole Russell, 201-833-3284