Hackensack Meridian Health Co-CEO Robert C. Garrett Honored at NJ Walk to Cure Arthritis   

Hackensack Meridian Health Co-CEO Robert C. Garrett Honored at NJ Walk to Cure Arthritis

More than 1,000 people participated at the event in West Orange that will raise $300,000 to support the Arthritis Foundation’s initiatives

Hackensack Meridian Health Co-CEO Robert C. Garrett was honored at the New Jersey Walk to Cure Arthritis and served as corporate chair of the event in West Orange on Saturday that will raise $300,000 to support the Arthritis Foundation’s initiatives.

“I want to give special tribute to a group of warriors - those are people who have arthritis and suffer with the disease every day but in spite of their affliction, they make the best of every day," Co-CEO Robert C. Garrett said, addressing a crowd of more than 1,000 participants.

Arthritis impacts 50 million Americans and 300,000 children across the US are diagnosed with the disease, Mr. Garrett said. “Contrary to popular belief, two-thirds of the people diagnosed with arthritis are under the age of 65," Mr. Garrett said.

“I want to thank the Arthritis Foundation for all they do to help care for patients with arthritis, for all that they do to advance research to find a cure and for all that they do to advocate for laws that assist people with the disease," Mr. Garrett said.

“I am really proud that Hackensack Meridian Health’s Hackensack University Medical Center has one of the largest pediatric rheumatology programs in the nation and is helping thousands of young people with arthritis each and every day," Mr. Garrett said. “It is headed by Dr. Yuki Kimura, who does amazing work and is a renowned pediatric rheumatologist who has built a world class team at Hackensack University Medical Center."

Yukiko Kimura, M.D., is chief of the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center. Dr. Kimura is a noted researcher and lecturer and President of the Childhood Arthritis & Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA), a leading international organization that conducts collaborative research to prevent, treat and cure pediatric rheumatic diseases. She is also a professor of pediatrics at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University.

Arthritis can be part of many different childhood illnesses including juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), dermatomyositis (JDMS), scleroderma and vasculitis. The Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital’s active involvement in national and international research initiatives ensures that patients have access to the latest advances in therapy.

“We are honored to have our Co-CEO Bob Garrett serve as corporate chair for this important and inspiring event," said Dr. Kimura. “We know that by working together we will have the best chance to improve patient care and ultimately find a cure for this disease."

In March, the medical center’s Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital was one of only three pilot pediatric sites in the U.S. along with Stanford Health Care in California and Wake Forest Baptist Health – Brenner Children’s Hospital in North Carolina, chosen to participate in a groundbreaking rheumatology initiative led by The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice and funded by the Arthritis Foundation.

This initiative will develop and pilot the Rheumatology Learning Health System(RLHS), an innovative, new model that will allow children, teenagers and adults suffering from inflammatory arthritis to participate in co-producing their own healthcare.

About Hackensack Meridian Health

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the 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 16 hospitals, including three academic medical centers, two children's hospitals and nine community hospitals, two rehabilitation hospitals and 450 physician practices and patient care locations including surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, and urgent care facilities. Hackensack Meridian Health has 33,000 team members, more than 6,500 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 one of only five major academic medical centers in the nation to receive Healthgrades America's 50 Best Hospitals Award for five or more consecutive years, four hospitals ranked among the top 10 in New Jersey, including Hackensack University Medical Center, the No. 1 hospital, Jersey Shore University Medical Center at No. 4 and Ocean and Riverview Medical Centers tied at No. 8., as ranked by U.S. News and World Report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, recipient of the John M. Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety and Quality from The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum, a six-time recipient of Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For," one of the "20 Best Workplaces in Health Care" in the nation, and the number one "Best Place to Work for Women." 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.

For additional information, please visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org.

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