Hackensack Meridian Health Launches Project HEAL to Target Community Violence

NEPTUNE, N.J., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hackensack Meridian Health is proud to announce that Project HEAL, a hospital-based violence intervention program based at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, has aided nearly 50 clients through a multi-disciplined program to address community, domestic, and gang-related violence.  

"We must address the epidemic of gun violence in this country, which claimed nearly 44,000 Americans last year, a national record,'' said Robert G. Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. "We are losing about 120 Americans a day to senseless gun violence, especially in communities of color, and we must take urgent action to address this serious public health threat.''

Mr. Garrett was one of 18 leading healthcare CEOs in the nation to urge Congress to support President Biden's $5 billion hospital and community-based gun violence prevention plan, part of the infrastructure bill that is being considered by Congress.

Project HEAL, a community partnership to Help, Empower and Lead, was launched in March to address disturbing trends in community violence. In urban settings, it is estimated that up to 41 percent of patients treated for violent injury are re-injured in five years. One five-year follow-up survey of victims of gun violence found that 20 percent had died in that period.

Since the program's launch in March, 43 clients have been aided in multiple ways: through counseling, emergency financial assistance, legal advice, transportation assistance and more. Six new staff were hired since January, including a clinical therapist, violence intervention specialist and clinical advocate.

"Creating a very specific type of care for those affected by violence – from the moment they enter our emergency department to long after the point of discharge – is critical," says Aakash Shah, M.D., medical director for Project HEAL. "It is needed now more than ever, and I applaud Governor Phil Murphy, the office of the Attorney General, and the leadership of Jersey Shore University Medical Center for helping us with this program."

According to data from the Uniform Crime Report, three areas of concern in terms of violent crime are Asbury Park, Neptune Township, and Long Branch City. Combined, these areas saw 12 murders and 744 aggravated assaults in the past three years.

Between January 2016 and August 2019, Jersey Shore University Medical Center's internal medical data shows that they treated 408 violent injuries in a variety of different capacities: 107 by fist, 176 by knife, 84 by gun, and 41 by other means.

Community violence and victimization is rarely a one-time event. Yet, victims often find themselves returning to the very same circumstances that contributed to their injury without resources to prevent future violence.

Case in point: despite the psychological trauma of violent injury, many victims of violence struggle to access mental health services. Barriers to services include stigma, distrust, and difficulty navigating the system.

"This cuttin', stabbin', & shootin' between these young men, ages 15-30, that's where the action is going on," said Keisha Harbour, a community activist and lifelong resident of Asbury Park. "I want this program to help with that, to give these people other options in life."

Harbour recently joined Project HEAL as a violence intervention specialist and is often the first point of contact for a victim of violence treated in the emergency department.

Her experience has taught her: "We need to bring balance to our community; we have no balance and no options. We have nothing to help scale these issues back." She notes that the community needs programs like Project HEAL in place and to empower patients with resources and opportunities.

Project HEAL takes a multi-pronged approach in trying to help break the cycle of repeat violent injury and victimization in Monmouth County. Its model is multidisciplinary and combines efforts of medical staff with trusted community-based partners to provide safety planning, wraparound services, and trauma-informed care to violently injured people.

"Caring for our community, whether it's within our medical center walls or through our outreach efforts, is at the core of everything we do," said Vito Buccellato, MPA, LNHA, chief hospital executive, Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

New Jersey hopes to serve as a national model of rethinking how to treat violence from a clinical standpoint, as well as a criminal justice standpoint. The program, part of a $20 million federal grant, is the largest such investment in the United States to address recurring instances of community violence.

"As the founder and former Executive Director of Be Jersey Strong, Dr. Shah is uniquely suited to lead Project HEAL," said Kenneth N. Sable, M.D., MBA, FACEP, regional president, Southern Market, Hackensack Meridian Health. "I know he will be successful in guiding this program and providing our community with essential resources to help stem the tide of violence."

For more information about the program, call 732-897-8190 or visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/project-heal/.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN JERSEY SHORE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
Located in Neptune, New Jersey, Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center is a not-for-profit teaching hospital and the only Level II Trauma and Level II Pediatric Trauma Center in Monmouth and Ocean counties. It is home to K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital – the first children's hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties. With more than 1,200 physicians and dental staff in 60 specialty areas, Jersey Shore University Medical Center's team provides high-quality care in a patient-centered, environmentally-friendly setting.

The team's commitment to excellence has earned Jersey Shore University Medical Center numerous accolades, including being named the #6 top hospital in New Jersey and high performing in seven specialties, procedures and conditions by U.S. News & World Report for 2020-2021. The medical center's clinical research program and longstanding commitment to medical education is evident through an affiliation with Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and a new affiliation with St. George's University School of Medicine. Jersey Shore University Medical Center serves as an academic center dedicated to advancing medical knowledge, training future physicians and providing the community with access to promising medical breakthroughs.

Jersey Shore University Medical Center's programs and services have received numerous national recognitions, including designation as high-performing in cardiac, stroke, surgical and oncology services.

Jersey Shore University Medical Center's HOPE Tower – a $265 million 10-story medical office building provides a healing outpatient experience. Guided by a patient-centered approach towards care, and informed by the latest medical breakthroughs, HOPE Tower includes advanced imaging services, a clinical academic center, innovative simulation laboratory, state-of-the-art amphitheater, specialty physician offices, a nine-level parking garage, and a 58,000 square foot cancer facility. The new cancer facility features a range of comprehensive treatment options, including surgical specialties, medical oncology, and the most advanced radiation therapy and minimally invasive interventional therapies. Nurse navigators guide patients through every step and provide an extra layer of support and coordination.  For more information, visit https://www.jerseyshoreuniversitymedicalcenter.com/.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH
Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care.

Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 17 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children's hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in Neptune; nine community hospitals – Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin; a behavioral health hospital – Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead; and two rehabilitation hospitals - JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.

Additionally, the network has more than 500 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has more than 36,000 team members, and over 7,000 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

The network's notable distinctions include having four hospitals among the top in New Jersey by U.S. News and World Report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and being named to Becker's Healthcare's "150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare/2019" list.

The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine opened in 2018, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its third class of students in 2020 to its On3 campus in Nutley and Clifton. Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it.

Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies.

For additional information, please visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org.

SOURCE Hackensack Meridian Health