Holy Name Press Releases

Holy Name Hospital Becomes Holy Name Medical Center CNN's Soledad O'Brien is keynote speaker

March 10, 2010

Teaneck, NJ - Holy Name Hospital became Holy Name Medical Center during an event that focused on the themes of spirituality, selflessness and plurality, and addressed how those values relate to Holy Name's mission and its expression both inside the organization and out into the world at-large. Soledad O'Brien, CNN Anchor and Special Correspondent, provided the keynote address.

The event and re-naming, which coincides with Holy Name's 85th anniversary, was attended by about 300 dignitaries and community leaders, including municipal administrators, emergency first-responders, mayors and other elected officials from surrounding towns, as well as other friends of the Medical Center.

In her opening prayer, Sister Terry Donahue, CSJP, spoke of the unique spiritual personality of Holy Name, from which "no visitor leaves without a gift, no guest leaves without a blessing." Sr. Donahue is a the assistant leader of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, Holy Name's founding and sponsoring organization.

Michael Maron, President/CEO, announced that Holy Name made the official change from "Hospital" to "Medical Center" to more accurately reflect the organization and its capabilities. "We're much, much more than a hospital," he said. "Holy Name has evolved in so many ways, that the term 'hospital', which connotes a common, traditional facility, no longer represents who we are and what we do." Mr. Maron cited the increasingly wide scope of services offered by Holy Name; leading-edge technology; multiple off-site locations, including care centers throughout Bergen and into Passaic and Hudson counties; culturally-focused medical care; and significant growth in the medical staff.

Mr. Maron also spoke of the "convergence of purpose and path," in which "all our life journeys cross paths for reasons we cannot explain, and that our paths have crossed for good." He discussed Holy Name's lengthy history of humanitarian support in Haiti and that the conditions there "remind us what we should be here [at Holy Name], every day. Michael Maron and Holy Name anesthesiologists Alan Gwertzman, M.D. and Timothy Finley, M.D. flew to Haiti late yesterday to oversee the delivery and installation of the life-saving oxygen processor donated to Hôpital Sacre Coeur in Milot by Holy Name Hospital, its employees and Bergen Anesthesia Associates. The cooperative effort includes manufacturer Oxygen Generating Systems International (OGSI), Burn Advocates, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien noted that Holy Name "values the things that I value in my own life." Ms. O'Brien observed that Holy Name combines the two essential "kinds of care: great medical care and great care of the community." She talked about how establishing "a connection" between caregiver and patient engenders trust. "Without trust, you can't have healing." Holy Name, she said, is "a place that 'gets it' and understands how recognizing cultural differences can make things better."

Ms. O'Brien lauded the Medical Center's long-term commitment to Haiti and spoke of the universality of the human spirit. "Everyone wants the same things: security, happiness, health, they want their children to have better opportunities..."

Ms. O'Brien alluded to her own international travels as a representative of the media, and acknowledged that even those in the audience who will never visit Haiti can support the humanitarian effort in their own way, "making a difference in the lives of people you'll never meet."

Toward the end of the program, Mr. Maron accepted civic proclamations from N.J. Senator Loretta Weinberg and N.J. Assemblyman Gordon Johnson; County Executive Dennis McNerney, and Township of Teaneck Municipal Manager William Broughton. The proclamations endorsed Holy Name's use of the term "Medical Center" and celebrated the organizational evolution that inspired that change.



Alan Gwertzman, M.D., HNMC anesthesiologist; Michael Maron, President/CEO, Holy Name Medical Center; Soledad O'Brien, CNN Anchor and Special Correspondent; Timothy Finley, M.D., HNMC anesthesiologist; and David Butler, M.D., obstetrician/gynecologist, at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, N.J. at the March 9th renaming event. The physicians are dedicated participants in the Haitian relief effort. Michael Maron, who is currently in Haiti overseeing the installation of medical equipment donated by Holy Name, is the only hospital president in the area to make the trip during the current crisis.

Photo provided by www.ktdstudios.com.