BRICK – Long-time locals might still call it “Brick Hospital,” although it had been Ocean Medical Center for some time. Now, it will be known as Ocean University Medical Center.
The change became effective on October 1 and with the new name, comes a new logo. Hackensack Meridian Health President and Chief Hospital Executive Jason Kreitner told Jersey Shore Online.com “This is indeed a proud moment in the history of Ocean Medical Center which has had several name changes over the years.”
Kreitner explained the process of becoming an academic hospital. “It really started six or seven years ago and Ocean was looking into what was happening across the country and really getting involved in academics. Ocean Medical Center has grown tremendously in the last decade. We thought the time was right and we were prime for getting into academic education with our medical students, residents and looking at our patients’ needs.”
He added, “we ended up going on that journey and apply to programs to get top medical students and it has truly been phenomenal. We are in our fourth year of training our own residents as part of Ocean Medical Center’s academic program.”
Residents are physicians who have graduated from medical school with an education in a variety of types of medicine and are now focusing more on specialized knowledge and experience to specific disciplines.
Kreitner said the move has made the hospital more of a “teaching organization.” As to the areas that residents will be specializing in, he added that decision was based on a community needs assessment.
“Among those needs was greater emphasis on mental health. “The world is facing the challenges of psychiatry for mental health and we have 28 psychiatry residents that will rotate with our crisis unit and across the network. It is really based on the need,” Kreitner added.
“We have 90 residents as of today across five programs that are family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry and we have what is called a transitional year which is when a medical student who is unsure of their specialization. It is a unique program and we have 12 students that will rotate their time and spend time in the OR (operating room), radiology, and other areas so they can get that one-year sense of what they want to specialize in,” Kreitner added.
All of the residency programs are led by nationally recognized leaders in their fields who are affiliated with Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the only private medical school in New Jersey.
“The new name represents our dedicated efforts and commitment to quality and patient safety combined with a vision for developing medical education programs that expose future physicians, nurses and clinicians to the latest innovations in medicine,” he said.
Recent facility investments include a 36 private-bed medical surgical floor, a 44,300-square-foot emergency department, and a comprehensive cancer center.
With the completion of the $19.5M Heart and Vascular Center, Ocean University Medical Center will become one of the nation’s most advanced interventional catheterization and vascular laboratories for heart and vascular diagnosis and treatment.
Dr. Kenneth N. Sable, who serves as the regional president, southern market for Hackensack Meridian Health, said the announcement “recognizes Ocean Medical Center’s exceptional growth as an advanced care hospital that has evolved into a university teaching hospital by building on its medical, nursing and clinical educational programs.”
“We are very proud to honor the important contributions that Ocean Medical Center makes in New Jersey to deliver high-quality, compassionate care and educate the next generation of physicians, nurses and health care professionals who will advance the delivery of care to our communities,” Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, chief executive officer, Hackensack Meridian Health said.
He added, “Ocean Medical Center has a longstanding reputation of providing high-performing care, with excellent patient quality indicators and continues to build its teaching programs in clinical and professional specialties.”
