Ten years ago residents of the Phillipsburg area were concerned they would have to cross the Delaware for hospital care.

Then the St. Luke’s University Health Network bought Warren Hospital and in the past several years, the hospital has been recognized for its consistent high level and quality patient care.

The 10th anniversary of the purchase was Tuesday, Feb.1

Over the past decade, St. Luke’s has invested more than $125 million in New Jersey to fund a range of improvements at St. Luke’s Warren Campus and at new or expanded satellite locations.

St. Luke’s added or expanding many services, such as surgical services, weight management, endocrinology, rheumatology, nephrology, various pediatric subspecialities and more.

On the physical plant, St. Luke’s rebuilt most of the patient care areas—including the intensive care unit, the emergency department, the medical/surgical floors, the infusion center, the main operating room and the gastrointestinal suite—to provide a state-of-the-art clinical setting.

Additions to the original hospital were built to both the north and south on the Roseberry Street campus, adding nearly 100,000 square feet of space for more than 10 different medical specialties.

Off campus, St. Luke’s constructed and opened new facilities in Belvidere and Lopatcong Township and expanded into Hunterdon County with a Clinton health center. The health network also updated and expanded other satellite locations

In the cyber area, St. Luke’s implemented Epic, the highest-rated electronic medical record system in the country.

“Care in Warren County has been greatly improved as evidenced by the highest ratings earned by St. Luke’s University Health Network and its Warren Campus,” Warren Campus President Scott R. Wolfe says.

He cited the national awards and honors won by the hospital, which include: an ‘A’ grade for patient safety from the Leapfrog Group, The Leapfrog Group’s “Top Hospital” award, the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus with Honor Roll Elite and Diabetes Honor Roll.

“In addition,” Wolfe said, “the financial condition of St. Luke’s Warren Campus has been improved dramatically since joining St. Luke’s starting immediately upon its entry into the well-respected Network.”

St. Luke’s Warren Campus has also forged key relationships in New Jersey, such as its strategic affiliation with Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health (RWJBH), the largest academic and health network in the state. This affiliation allows New Jersey residents, whose insurance carriers require them to receive higher levels of care in New Jersey, to be transferred or referred to RWJBH facilities for their advanced care services, such as cardiology, trauma, behavioral health and neurosurgery, if that care is not readily available at St. Luke’s Warren Campus.

“Our primary goal in developing this relationship is to reduce health disparities that have long existed in Northwest New Jersey, specifically those in Warren County,” Wolfe explains. “RWJBH’s breadth and depth of acute, tertiary and quaternary services; its extensive investment in graduate medical education and clinical research; and its proximity to the markets we serve uniquely qualifies it to be our partner in addressing this pressing issue.”

“A decade ago,” said Karen Kubert, St. Luke’s Warren Campus Board Chairman, “it would have been nearly impossible to envision the revitalization of Warren Hospital and the powerful impact of its partnership with St. Luke’s University Health Network. Today, the Warren Campus’s restored reputation is spreading by word of mouth.”

“We are bringing key services back and introducing important new services into the community by listening to its needs,” she said. “We are there for the community, and the community knows it. We can all take a great deal of pride in the work we have done to get us here.”

Wolfe recalled that a decade ago the hospital needed a broader and deeper medical staff, an updated main campus, more satellite locations, a new clinical information system and a broader array of services to fill the vacuum created by its curtailment of services over the prior decade. “Most importantly,” he added, “it needed its finances shored up immediately to stay in business to serve the community. Warren Hospital believed that St. Luke’s University Health Network had the best track record in accomplishing such goals.”

Currently the Warren Campus is further expanding its primary and ancillary services into northwest New Jersey and, specifically, expanding its interventional radiology/cardiac catheterization lab to provide both diagnostic and interventional catheterizations to the community.

In other St. Luke’s News….

St. Luke’s University Health Network has launched a new YouTube channel and children’s web series: Wellness 101 Junior.

This follows the Wellness 101 Show that garnered St. Luke’s three regional Emmy awards. The channel and series are designed to help families access health care information during the pandemic.

St. Luke’s partner, Jeff Harney of Production Pocketknife LLC is “Mr. Willness” in three to five minute episodes. At first designed for adults, the programs soon added the “Junior” component. All episodes will be on the new YouTube channel and a new interactive edition will provide easy to understand videos such as “How to Stop a Panic Attack.” It is sponsored by St. Luke’s Pediatrics.

To learn more about “Wellness 101” and “Wellness 101 Junior” visit https://youtube.com/wellness101show.

Franklin the Dog Joins “Staff”

The physical therapy suite at St. Luke’s Hillcrest Professional Plaza in Phillipsburg recently welcomed its newest employee, Franklin, the facility dog.

The dapper black Labrador/golden retriever mix wears a bow tie as well as his companion dog harness. He spent two years in training through Canine Companions, including six months in professional training for his new job. Franklin is the first facility dog in the St. Luke’s University Health Network.

Erin Verdon is the registered, licensed occupational therapist who works alongside Franklin in both the Phillipsburg and Clinton St. Luke’s facilities.

“Facility dogs are not just dogs who lay around and let people pet them,” Verdon said. “We use them . . . to engage the patient in the activity.” She stressed they are different from therapy dogs and know how to use more than 40 advanced commands, including:

· Walking safely with a patient on a leash near an assistive device

· Retrieving items

· Opening and closing doors and drawers

· Barking only on command

Verdon worked with a facility dog on a stroke unit and saw the benefits, so she suggested physical therapy at St. Luke’s apply for a dog. Applicants have a two-week training program with dogs who have already completed their own training. Frankin and Verdon are certified as a team and Franklin lives with Verdon on his off-duty time.