Hackensack University Medical Center Expands World-Class Organ Transplant Program to Physician Satellite Offices at Jersey Shore University Medical Center and JFK University Medical Center

Newswise — Hackensack, New Jersey, (July 19, 2022) The Organ Transplantation Division at Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center, one of only a few certified transplant centers in New Jersey, is bringing its world-class services to satellite locations in the central and southern regions of New Jersey. Consultations, testing and follow up care of transplants are now available at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune and JFK University Medical Center in Edison.  

“We are proud of our rapidly growing living donation program and innovative organ preservation techniques in the Division of Organ Transplantation at Hackensack University Medical Center. These key areas allow patients to have the shortest waiting times for a kidney transplant and the best outcomes in the state of New Jersey. Now with opening two satellite locations this will allow us to deliver outstanding outcomes and provide world-class care for patients closer to where they live and work,” said Michael J. Goldstein, M.D., FACS, Director of Organ Transplantation, Hackensack University Medical Center, Associate Professor of Surgery, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.

Hackensack University Medical Center provides top-notch organ transplant care from a dedicated team of organ transplantation experts, with shorter wait times and outcomes that exceed the national standards. At Hackensack University Medical Center, the transplant surgery team performs kidney and pancreas transplants using the latest donor matching protocols and advanced techniques that are only available at the world’s leading transplant centers. 

“Hackensack University Medical Center’s transplant center is among the fastest-growing in the nation with some of the best outcomes in kidney transplant,” said Mark D. Sparta, FACHE, president and chief hospital executive, Hackensack University Medical Center; president, North Region, Hackensack Meridian Health. “The skills and experience that Dr. Goldstein and his team bring to Hackensack University Medical Center’s transplantation team will now be available in the central and southern regions of New Jersey to benefit patients across the entire state.”

Board-certified transplant surgeons lead together with a multidisciplinary team of specialty physicians, specially trained transplant nurses, and other healthcare support professionals, who partner with the patient and their family throughout the entire transplant process as close to home as possible. This includes initial evaluation and transplant selection through surgery and follow up care at their local location.  

The Transplant Program includes: 

• Access to Certified Clinical Transplant Coordinators (CCTC), who coordinate appointments, address financial and insurance issues, and connect patients with resources. 
• Pioneering organ transplantation care from leaders in the field who routinely publish  research findings and innovations in articles and poster presentations, speak at national and international conferences, and participate in national committees. 
• Access to the latest kidney perfusion technologies, such as the LifePort Kidney Transporter — an ex vivo hypothermic machine preservation technology that  increases a kidney’s viability and lifespan, improving patient outcomes. Hackensack University Medical Center is the only center in New Jersey to routinely perform kidney transplants with machine perfusion technology. 
• A commitment to quality and safety, as evidenced by the Reducing Avoidable Readmissions Effectively (RARE) program that monitors post-transplant patients after discharge to identify those who are at increased risk of readmission. The RARE program contributed to a reduction of readmissions from 26 percent in 2017 to 13 percent in 2018. 
• Transplant access for new populations through collaboration with Hackensack University  Medical Center’s Bloodless Medicine Program, which provides transfusion-free, safe kidney transplantation to patients whose personal preferences or religious beliefs prevent them from accepting blood or blood products. 
• Leading-edge clinical trials and research designed to improve current and future  transplantation care for donors and recipients, including multicenter trials such as APOLLO to study the effects of the APO L1 gene in African American transplant donors  and recipients. 
• A pediatric kidney transplant program providing care for infants as young as one-year-old and as small as eight kg in weight. 
• A track record of successful transplantation in 70-to 80-year-old patients with end-stage renal disease who may be ineligible for transplant at other area transplant centers. 
• Offers a pancreas transplant program — one of only a few such programs in New Jersey that offers this procedure  to patients with uncontrolled diabetes causing life-threatening complications. The Transplant Division also performs pancreas-kidney as well as pancreas-only transplants.  

To learn more about the organ transplantation program at Hackensack University Medical Center and the new satellite centers at Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s HOPE Tower and JFK University Medical Center, visit hackensackmeridianhealth.org/organtransplant.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit healthcare 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 four academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK University Medical Center in Edison and Ocean University Medical Center in Brick; two children’s hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital in Neptune; eight community hospitals – Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, 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 Johnson 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 center, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has more than 36,000 team members, and 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 more top-ranked hospitals than anyone in New Jersey, as recognized by U.S. News & World Report, 2021-22. Hackensack University Medical Center is the only hospital in New Jersey with the #1 adult and children’s hospital rankings.

Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center is one of New Jersey's premier cancer centers. This premier cancer center is also the largest and most comprehensive center dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment, management, research, screenings, and preventive care as well as survivorship of patients with all types of cancers. John Theurer Cancer Center is part of Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, an NCI designated comprehensive cancer center. 

Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to ensure that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it.

The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its first class of students in 2018 to its campus in Nutley and Clifton. The Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI), housed in a fully renovated state-of-the-art facility, seeks to translate current innovations in science to improve clinical outcomes for patients with cancer, infectious diseases and other life-threatening and disabling conditions.

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. To learn more, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org.  

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