Spirit Halloween Donates $73,763 to K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital

Spirit of Children program supports Child Life program to benefit hospitalized children along the Jersey Shore.

For the third consecutive year, Spirit Halloween has provided a significant donation to Hackensack Meridian Health K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. The recent gift, which represents collections during the 2018 Halloween season, totaled $73,763. This brings the organization’s total donations to the children’s hospital to more than $200,000.

K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital was selected as a charitable partner of Spirit Halloween’s Spirit of Children program, which provides fun and funding to its partner hospitals during the Halloween season and all year long. In its third year of partnership, this year's gift helps to support Child Life services at the children's hospital.

“We are truly grateful for the way in which the Spirit Halloween team has embraced this initiative and the amazing impact they have made on the Child Life program at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital,” says William Faverzani, FACHE, vice president, senior operations officer of Children’s Enterprise for Hackensack Meridian Health. “It takes a whole team to care for these children, and we consider the Spirit Halloween family as part of our team, extending into the community.”

The Child Life Program at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital is focused on providing support to hospitalized children and their family members, helping them to focus on being a kid and not on being sick. They help reduce stress and anxiety, learn about procedures and tests in a kid-friendly way, and support emotional needs to have better outcomes. Most recently, Spirit Halloween donations were used to purchase MRI goggles for kids undergoing imaging tests. The children can now lay in the MRI, wearing the special goggles, and watch a DVD movie during the scan. This is a great alternative to avoid sedation and have less complications for young patients.

As part of the Spirit of Children program, Spirit Halloween stores in the local area conducted in-store fundraising campaigns specifically to benefit the Child Life Program at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital. In addition to collecting in-store donations, when customers utilized Spirit Halloween’s 10-for-10 coupon, they received 10 percent off their purchase and Spirit Halloween matched every coupon purchase with a 10 percent donation.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH Jersey Shore University Medical Center

Located in Neptune, New Jersey, Hackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center is a not-for-profit teaching hospital and the only Level II Trauma and Level II Pediatric Trauma Center in Monmouth and Ocean counties. It is home to K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital – the first children’s hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties. With more than 1,200 physicians and dental staff in 60 specialty areas, Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s team provides quality care in a patient-centered, environmentally-friendly setting.

The team’s commitment to excellence has earned Jersey Shore University Medical Center numerous accolades, including being named #4 in New Jersey. The medical center’s clinical research program and longstanding commitment to medical education is evident through an affiliation with Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University and a new affiliation with St. George’s University School of Medicine. Jersey Shore University Medical Center serves as an academic center dedicated to advancing medical knowledge, training future physicians and providing the community with access to promising medical breakthroughs.

Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s programs and services have received national recognition, including designation as high-performing in cardiac, stroke, surgical and oncology services. Jersey Shore University Medical Center is also recognized as the first hospital in New Jersey to have implanted the Micra Transcatheter Pacing System – the world’s smallest pacemaker, and is one of the elite facilities in the region to perform robotic-assisted minimally invasive Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery and Transcarotid Arterial Revascularization.

Jersey Shore University Medical Center recently completed the HOPE Tower Project – a $265 million 10-story medical office building that provides a new healing outpatient experience. Guided by a patient-centered approach towards care, and informed by the latest medical breakthroughs, HOPE Tower includes advanced imaging services, a clinical academic center, innovative stimulation laboratory, state-of-the-art amphitheater, specialty physician offices, a nine-level parking garage, and a 58,000 square foot cancer facility. The new cancer facility features a range of comprehensive treatment options, including surgical specialties, medical oncology, and the most advanced radiation therapy and minimally invasive interventional therapies. Nurse navigators guide patients through every step and provide an extra layer of support and coordination.

For additional information, please visit www.JerseyShoreUniversityMedicalCenter.com.