NJBIA Recognizes Hackensack Meridian Health as Nonprofit Outstanding Employer for 2020 Awards for Excellence

Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey’s largest and most integrated and comprehensive health network, is pleased to announce it has been recognized by the New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA) as Nonprofit Outstanding Employer for the 2020 Awards for Excellence. The network is being recognized for its overall demonstration of excellence, leadership skills and contribution to New Jersey’s economic growth.

“Hackensack Meridian Health is committed to advancing excellence and raising the standard of care in New Jersey and beyond, and we couldn’t do any of that without our incredible team members,” said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, chief executive officer, Hackensack Meridian Health. “I want to recognize our dedicated team members for everything they do to provide outstanding care to the communities we serve each day. I also want to thank the NJBIA for this honor, which is particularly meaningful as we reflect on the heroic efforts of our health care workers who were on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to continuing to cultivate our network as a great place to work.”

The NJBIA recognizes the Nonprofit Outstanding Employer as a company that demonstrates innovative and forward-thinking approaches to human resources, including: implementing workplace safety programs, helping employees grow and advance, and creating solutions related to an increasingly diverse workforce, among other initiatives.

As a leading not-for-profit health care organization, Hackensack Meridian Health offers numerous benefits to team members to help them maintain a healthy work/life balance. Some of the noteworthy programs that were launched to help team members address those needs include:

Benefit Advocate Center – The Benefit Advocate Center (BAC) answers questions, provides support, and offers a one-stop-spot to help team members get the most out of their benefits plan and their health. Advocates can assist team members with questions about benefits, prescription/pharmacy coverage, referrals, insurance claim issues and help with finding provider – free of charge.

Convenient Care NOW (Free Telehealth Service) – Team members can have a doctor visit from anywhere, free of cost, through Convenient Care NOW. This program offers 24/7 video visit access to board-certified doctors in under 10 minutes from a smartphone, tablet or computer for non-urgent conditions such as colds, upper respiratory infections, allergies and skin rashes. Prescriptions are sent straight to the team member’s pharmacy.

Coordinated Care Program – With the Coordinated Care Discount Program, eligible team members pay $0 for prescriptions related to diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. This program is voluntary and available to covered team members and their dependents. Through coordinated care managers, team members also have access to a team of caregivers who can provide the knowledge, tools and self-care techniques that will help them improve their health and deal with these chronic health conditions.

Hackensack Meridian Health Life Solutions (Employee Assistance Program) – Hackensack Meridian Health Life Solutions is a resource provider for free confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services, and work/life solutions. Helping team members live a healthy, balanced life – physically, emotionally and socially – is something that is very important to Hackensack Meridian Health, and we recognize that personal issues, planning for life events or simply managing daily life can affect work, health and family.

Spiritual Care Program – Recognizing that even caregivers need care, Hackensack Meridian Health created the Spiritual Care Program in April to help team members deal with complex emotions in response to work related to COVID-19. The program is based upon providing access to sources of spiritual strength and inspiration. The program is an extension of the health network’s chaplaincy service, which provides specially trained, multi-faith clergy, who in this context will offer multi-platform support to team members, ranging from the scriptural to the practical. Resources include brief clergy-hosted videos and audio recordings that team members can tune into going to and from work or while on a break; inspirational written interpretations; a dedicated email through the health network’s intranet to make prayer requests; and a designated quiet room in each hospital to use for meditation, self-care, prayer, reflection or just a calm place to retreat to for a break.

The NJBIA will honor Hackensack Meridian Health in the October issue of their magazine, New Jersey Business.