Monmouth Medical Center on the frontline

By Walter J. O’Neill, Jr

Long Branch – Monmouth Medical Center, located in the heart of the city, is a frontline defense for battling COVID-19. As of Tuesday, March 31, the hospital had 70 patients who have tested positive for COVID-19. They also have an additional 45 patients who are under investigation for a positive test result.

Eric Carney, President of Monmouth Medical Center

“We are effectively managing the patient populations we are seeing today; however, we remain concerned about staffing, surge capacity and critical equipment,” said Eric Carney, President and Chief Executive Officer of Monmouth Medical Center. “Elective surgeries and other procedures are only being performed when deemed medically necessary. A triage tent has been set up outside the Emergency Department entrance to assess and screen all patients and visitors coming into the Medical Center.”

Monmouth Medical Center has a no-visitor policy, with limited exceptions. “Many local community businesses have reached out and offered food and donations for the staff. We cannot thank them enough; their support has been truly overwhelming,” added Carney.

Monmouth County Department of Public Information and Tourism released numbers of those positive COVID-19 by towns. These numbers were as of March 30, 2020 and only showing towns within The Link readership area and nearby towns: Asbury Park 13, Deal 5, Eatontown 33, Little Silver 14, Long Branch 39, Monmouth Beach 4, Neptune 35, Ocean 36, Oceanport 12, Red Bank 20, Rumson 15, Sea Bright 1, Tinton Falls 20, and West Long Branch 16.

“Over the last few weeks, the team at Monmouth Medical Center has come together for our patients in extraordinary ways to prepare for and deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. We are strictly adhering to all of the recommended procedures and guidelines as directed by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and NJ Department of Health. The safety and well-being of our patients, visitors and staff is our number one priority,” said Carney. He wanted to make sure that everyone knows, Monmouth is following all necessary guidelines and is taking all the necessary steps to ensure the health, well-being and safety of patients, staff and the community.

Over the past month the Monmouth Medical Center (MMC) Team has been diligently preparing to care for an anticipated surge of COVID-19 patients. Over the past two weeks, patients began presenting with symptoms of COVID-19 and have been receiving clinical care.

In response to this health crisis, Monmouth Medical Center has said it is taking the following action steps at this time:

•A triage tent has been set up outside the Emergency Department (ED) entrance to assess and screen all patients and visitors coming into the Medical Center.

•A no-visitor policy, with limited exceptions, is in place throughout the facility. Restrictions on hospital visitation policy reflect Monmouth Medical Center’s commitment to addressing this global issue while keeping those placed in our care safe. “To cope with these restrictions, I encourage family members and friends to use alternative ways to interact with their loved ones in the hospital, including phone calls, Facetime, Skype and other means,” said Carney.

•Before going to Monmouth Medical Center it is advised to review the guidelines, up-to-date information on visitor policy and temporary suspension of outpatient services is available on our web site at rwjbh.org/Monmouth.

Carney also said that The entire team at Monmouth Medical Center is doing truly amazing work under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Their selfless dedication to the patients and fellow staff members is awe-inspiring. “We are very thankful to our community for their very many thoughtful gifts and messages of support and kindness, which we are sharing with the staff on the frontlines of this crisis. It is a powerful rallying call for us all. As we face this unprecedented global public health crisis, we express our sincerest and deepest gratitude for everything our community is doing to show their support for our front-line staff. We hope in turn that we are providing the community with a sense of hope through the continued delivery of the exceptional care they are used to from MMC, and that the outstanding compassion and dedication of our MMC staff can created a calm during this storm,” said Carney.

The doctors and nurses at Monmouth Medical Center want to remind the community that hand hygiene and social distancing by staying home when possible and keeping six feet between people when out of your home remain your best defense to protect yourself and your family.

For important information, including frequently asked questions about COVID-19 and updates on hospital operations, visit rwjbh.org/monmouth and click on the link in the yellow bar.