New Jersey Association of Health Underwriters (NJAHU) and K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital unveiled “Children’s Dream Racer”
July 17, 2019
This week, board members of the New Jersey Association of Health Underwriters (NJAHU) joined with leaders and clinical staff at Hackensack Meridian Health K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital to unveil the “Children’s Dream Racer” (CDR) that was donated to the hospital for pediatric patients.
A Dream Racer is a child-sized version of a NASCAR racecar. Built by retired NASCAR car builder and CDR founder Mark "Smitty" Smith, the car is made with the same materials as a real NASCAR racer and features a flat panel TV, CD/DVD player, PlayStation®, and IV stand/oxygen bottle trunk.
The racer will be located at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital to help keep kids entertained during their outpatient visits.
“The NJAHU fell in love with the concept of the Dream Racer,” NJAHU State President Rob Saphow said. “We are thrilled to be a part of something so important to the children who are being treated at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital. We would like to thank the Horizon Foundation, the FNA Insurance/HUB team and the other companies who helped make this donation a reality.”
“The Dream Racer is a wonderful addition to K. Hovnanian and will bring joy to the children who visit for outpatient care,” said Kenneth N. Sable, M.D., MBA, FACEP, Hackensack Meridian Health regional president, southern market. “Our pediatric teams take pride in delivering expert and safe care but also realize it’s essential to support children emotionally, provide distractions to alleviate stress associated with illness and ultimately allow children to be children.”
U.S. News & World Report recently ranked the combined cancer program at Hackensack Meridian Health’s two children’s hospitals – K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital and Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in Hackensack, NJ, #44 in the U.S. and the only cancer program in New Jersey to be ranked among the top 50 in the nation.
Annually, more than 20,000 children visit the pediatric emergency department and Level II Pediatric Trauma Center at K. Hovnanian, over 1,000 are admitted to the hospital and more than 3,500 children receive lifesaving or life improving surgeries. Additionally, more than 900 infants and children receive care in the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, and more than 1,000 children receive their cancer treatments at the children’s hospital.