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Donation To Help Ocean Medical Center Chest Pain Center
By Catherine Snipe
Its main purpose is to raise money for the Ocean Medical Center.
And the Guild of the Ocean Medical Center did just that, to the tune of $63,000.
The guild presented a check in that amount to the hospital this month, hospital officials announced recently. The money will benefit the Oncology Navigator Program and the Chest Pain Center, part of the Brick hospital system.
“Ocean Medical Center is quite appreciative of the ongoing support and efforts of the guild,” said W. Peter Daniels, President of Ocean Medical Center. “The creativity and work that is involved in their initiatives are highly regarded and appreciated.”
The money comes from several fundraisers the guild holds throughout the year. All are run by community members, who set up a holiday boutique, a spring luncheon and a fashion show, among other fundraisers.
The funds will benefit the treatment aspect of the Chest Pain Center, which offers aggressive and preventive treatment plans to patients with acute coronary syndromes. The recently accredited program involves physicians and health care professionals from Ocean Medical Center’s cardiology, radiology, laboratory, pharmacy, cardiac catheterization, nursing and emergency departments. Funds raised will offset some of the equipment needs related to the new program.
The Oncology Navigator program is a service-based one, where patients and their families can go to help with meeting the challenges of a cancer diagnosis. Oncology navigators can help coordinate supportive services, such as therapy.
One of the larger events the guild led as a fundraiser was its third annual “Friends of the Bay” gala, held in October in Bay Head. The upscale event honored five mayors whose townships support Ocean Medical Center, but the event was also a fundraiser specific to the two programs the check will help fund. The gala also honored several of the specialists affiliated with the two programs.
Since its creation in 1953, the guild has also helped the Ocean Medical Center’s satellite emergency department, inpatient hospice and Breast Center of Ocean County. The guild also provides junior volunteer scholarships to promote the health care workforce.
Ocean Medical Center had further good news in a new designation for its cancer care. The center received Three-Year Approval with Commendation from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons. This designation is not a required one, but voluntary, and is part of a rigorous evaluation process, according to the hospital.
In order to gain the special designation, Ocean Medical Center also faced a performance review. The designation, which only about 25 percent of hospitals nationwide receive, puts Ocean Medical on an elite list, Daniels said.
The list includes Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Mayo Clinic and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
“This accreditation is a signal to our community that Ocean Medical Center possesses the expertise, compassion and technology to deliver unparalleled cancer care,” Daniels said.
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