Mount Laurel, N.J. – Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice, now rebranded as one, powerful, overarching name, “Samaritan,” offers the not-for-profit organization an opportunity to better illuminate its proud legacy of service and communicate its expanded services.
Founded as one of the country’s first hospices in 1980 through a grassroots volunteer effort, Samaritan now serves more than 11,000 people each year across 2,200 square miles covering five counties in South and Central New Jersey. The organization has become deeply embedded in the tapestry of the local community over the past four decades, providing hospice care, palliative medicine and other essential healthcare services to improve quality of life for patients and their loved ones.
In recognition of its continued focus on providing quality patient care, Samaritan was recently awarded an SHPBest Superior Performer patient satisfaction award for 2019 by Strategic Healthcare Programs (SHP), an independent firm that analyzes data and compares it to national and state scores to ensure quality hospice care. The award states, “Samaritan ranked in the top 20% in the SHP National Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Hospice benchmark and scoring above the SHP national average for each CAHPS Hospice quality measure as measured from the family caregiver’s point of view.”
“Over the past 40 years, Samaritan is grateful to be recognized as the region’s first and most respected provider of hospice and palliative services,” said Mary Ann Boccolini, President and CEO of Samaritan. “As Samaritan grows and adds new services, we pledge our authentic commitment to providing the expert and compassionate delivery of hospice care and palliative medicine that patients and families throughout the region have come to expect from us. Thanks to our generous donors who contributed more than $1.6M in 2019, we can provide music, massage and other complementary therapies, extensive volunteer services and grief support to enhance the lives of those we serve.”
Samaritan’s innovative role in introducing palliative medicine began in 2009 with the launch of Palliative Medical Partners, a medical specialty practice that provides supportive care at any stage of serious illness to relieve pain or symptoms and help patients express their goals of care. Palliative services began in select hospitals and out-patient locations and has since expanded under the direction of Kevin Daugherty Hook, DNP, MA, MS, APN, nurse practitioner, to a community-based palliative medicine model, with physicians and nurse practitioners visiting patients in the comfort of their homes, in select nursing facilities and senior living communities. Samaritan successfully initiated the use of telemedicine palliative consultations at the onset of the COVID pandemic which continues to be used today, increasing access to physicians and nurse practitioners and reducing the need for office visits.
Reinforcing the organization’s commitment to providing more care options at home, Samaritan launched Samaritan HomeVisit Physicians. under the leadership of Director Kenneth Giacobbo, DO. Dr. Giacobbo is board certified in internal medicine, hospice and palliative care, and oversees a team of physicians and nurse practitioners who provide primary care services for homebound patients wherever they live. The program offers traditional primary care, examinations, testing and diagnostics, chronic care coordination and medication management, all in the privacy of a patient’s home.
“We are so pleased to welcome Dr. Giacobbo and look forward to building on his professional experience and years in private practice to expand the services of Samaritan HomeVisit Physicians,” said Dr. Stephen Goldfine, MD, chief medical officer. “Receiving medical care at home is critically important to our patients. We know that having Ken and his team of top-notch physicians and nurse practitioners providing care without the need of an office visit, will reduce patient stress and anxiety and improve their quality of life.”
Samaritan is also celebrating the anniversary milestone by introducing the Institute for Education, Research and Innovation. The Institute leverages 40 years of collective knowledge and experience as a national leader in the fields of palliative medicine and hospice care, grief support, caregiving resources and advance care planning. Subject matter experts will present lectures, host workshops and lead interactive discussion forums in a variety of settings for physicians, nurses and other professionals; students; participants from academic institutions; social service agencies; and members of the greater community.
In addition to announcing a new brand and essential new services, Samaritan recently relocated its administrative headquarters to a new landmark location in Mount Laurel, that offers a new home base for its more than 400 clinical providers and other employees, as well as its support system of more than 500 volunteers. The new location is also home to Samaritan’s Center for Grief Support, which provides counseling, hosts support groups and offers outreach to anyone coping with the loss of a loved one.
“At a time when healthcare organizations need to be innovative in their approach to delivering customized and localized services, I am proud of our organization’s ability to diversify, pivot and add significant new offerings for our patients and their families in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Mercer and Atlantic counties,” added Boccolini. “The more we can do, the greater the impact we will have in enhancing the quality of life of those we serve.”
Samaritan is a not-for-profit, non-sectarian, independent organization locally founded in Moorestown, New Jersey in 1980. Samaritan is the regional leader for hospice care, palliative (comfort) medicine, at-home primary care, grief support and counseling, advanced illness care, education and advocacy. Samaritan serves people in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer counties who are coping with the stresses of aging, serious illness or grief in their homes, assisted-living or nursing home communities and through two inpatient hospice centers: The Samaritan Center at Mount Holly and The Samaritan Center at Voorhees. Two thrift shops, in Westmont and Pitman, support Samaritan services and programs. Samaritan is accredited by The Joint Commission; a member of the National Partnership for Hospice Innovation; and is a four-star hospice in the national We Honor Veterans program. For more information, visit www.SamaritanNJ.org.
Contact: Joanne Rosen, Vice President, Marketing & Public Affairs
(856) 266-5848 | [email protected]
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