For Immediate Release
November 13, 2007
Contact: Robert Cavanaugh
732-840-3279
rcavanaugh@meridianhealth.com

OCEAN MEDICAL CENTER REMAINS FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE WITH PEDIATRIC HOSPITALIST PROGRAM

Brick, NJ - Expanding on the success of its hospitalist program, Ocean Medical Center has launched a new Hospitalist program focusing on pediatrics. Pediatric hospitalists are pediatricians that primarily work in the hospital and who take care of children who do not have a physician or whose primary care physician prefers to have an on-site medical team in charge of coordinating care.

“In developing this program, we first wanted to improve the patient experience in the emergency room, by creating a separate child-friendly waiting area and treatment rooms for children, says Shrikrishna Mate, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Ocean Medical Center. “We feel that we have achieved that goal and with the new Pediatric Hospitalist Program children and families will be more comfortable during their stay at Ocean Medical Center.”

The Pediatric hospitalist spends their workday in the hospital and is readily available to a patient seven days a week. They coordinate treatment and consult specialty physicians when needed. By working in the hospital they have a close relationship with every specialist and department. They are able to respond immediately to test results and changes in a patient’s medical status.

“The hospitalist program is a benefit to our patients along with the pediatricians and primary care physicians,” added Mate. “Having Pediatric Hospitalists at Ocean Medical Center allows the pediatricians and primary care physicians to devote more time to their patients in the their offices knowing that they have a line of communication to the physicians at the hospital.”

Ocean Medical Center, a member of the Meridian Health family, is a 281-bed non-profit community hospital located in Brick New Jersey, providing health care programs and services in all major medical disciplines, including maternity; oncology; orthopedics and rehabilitation; general, neurological, thoracic, and vascular surgery; cardiology; dialysis; and emergency and critical care services. The Medical Center features Magnet award winning nurses and is a proud affiliate of University of Pennsylvania Cancer Network. Ocean Medical Center also operates the state’s first Satellite Emergency Department in Point Pleasant, called the Ocean Care Center. For more information, call the Meridian Health Line at 1-800-560-9990 or log on to our web site at www.OceanMedicalCenter.com.

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