Hackensack Meridian Health
Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH) is a network of healthcare providers in New Jersey, based out of Edison. Members include academic centers, acute care facilities, and research hospitals. Hackensack Meridian Health aims to create one integrated network that changes how healthcare is delivered in New Jersey. The HMH network was formed in 2016 by a merger between Hackensack University Medical Center and Meridian Health. Hackensack Meridian Health is affiliated with the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and maintains active teaching programs at its hospitals. After the acquisition of JFK Medical Center in Edison, HMH is now the largest healthcare provider in New Jersey. About As of November 2021, HMH operates 17 hospitals, 36,000 team members and more than 500 other facilities including ambulatory care centers, fitness and wellness centers, home health services, rehab centers, and skilled nursing centers spanning from Bergen to Atlantic counties. In Fall 2021, seven of its affiliate hospitals received an A grade from Hospital Safety Grade. It runs 10 clinics at Rite Aid outlets in New Jersey to treat minor health issues and make primary care physicians available for more serious conditions and urgent care needs. In 2021, U.S. News & World Report listed five of the hospitals in the HMH network as "best ranked" in New Jersey. Technology HMH has in 2021 become one of the first hospital organizations to completely switch its computing hardware to ChromeOS devices and employ Google Cloud to increase cyber security and deploy machine learning and healthcare artificial intelligence to expedite diagnostic decisions and assist with clinical treatments. Artificial intelligence will reportedly assist in newborn screening, mammography screening, prostate cancer screening, sepsis detection and COVID-19 detection. The increased cyber security of its newly adopted platform responds to a ransomware attack on December 2, 2019, that compromised computer systems and forced administrators to cancel roughly 100 elective medical procedures. The attack lasted five days and "affected anything with computer software." Administrators chose to pay the ransom of an undisclosed amount and released a statement on December 13 saying, "We believe it’s our obligation to protect our communities' access to health care." COVID-19 response In 2021, the HMH network was awarded more than $100 million in funds for FEMA for emergency relief and treated more than 10,000 patients. After the CDC approved the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5–11, the first vaccines administered to that age group were at HMH's Jersey Shore University Medical Center. HMH mandated that every of its employees be fully vaccinated by November 15, 2021. Though 70% of all health workers were vaccinated by July, 2021, there was resistance among staff partially due to concerns over vaccination causing sterility. Philanthropy New York Giants HMH and the New York Giants work together on various projects for health education, disease prevention, clinical research and philanthropic opportunities. In 2021, the MetLife Stadium Legacy Club was renamed the Hackensack Meridian Health Legacy Club at MetLife Stadium. The naming rights were formerly held by New York-Presbyterian Hospital, a former sponsor. Also in 2021, Eli