New Jersey Blood Bank Spring Seminar and Annual Meeting Draws 300 Attendees to RWJUH
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
 Heather Howard, state commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, delivered a candid and engaging luncheon keynote presentation, “Addressing the Economic Crisis by Investing in Health Care Access and Disease Prevention.” |
New Brunswick, NJ – A crowd of 300 people turned out for The New Jersey Society of Blood Bank Professionals (NJSBBP) spring seminar and annual meeting, held in the Arline and Henry Schwartzman Courtyard at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) on May 19.
The all-day affair kicked off with science, academic and recruitment sessions before Heather Howard, state commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, delivered a candid and engaging luncheon keynote presentation, “Addressing the Economic Crisis by Investing in Health Care Access and Disease Prevention.”
“Whether we like it or not, health care is not immune to the economic downturn,” Howard said, citing examples including the closure of nine New Jersey hospitals over the past two years; fewer procedures being done in hospitals, and a spike in the number of people using emergency rooms for medical care because of high health insurance costs.
Howard also addressed more positive news for health care, including Gov. Jon S. Corzine’s focus on assisting the uninsured and his efforts to ensure state programs benefit from the federal stimulus package.
Also during the event, The New Jersey Workplace Blood Donor Coalition, in partnership with Novartis and other businesses across the state, introduced its new “Save Three Lives…All in a Day’s Work” Web site—www.njsave3lives.com—a comprehensive clearinghouse for all blood drives and blood donations in the Garden State. The “Save Three Lives” campaign officially launched in January 2009.
Nearly 20 vendors hosted exhibit booths at the event including Abbott Laboratories, Bayer Biologics, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Roche Diagnostics and Wyeth.
About the New Jersey Society of Blood Bank Professionals
The NJSBBP was formed in 2000 to bring together individuals throughout the state who are interested in blood banking. In addition, the Blood Bank Task Force of New Jersey (BBTFNJ), a committee under the NJSBBP, works to influence blood banking and transfusion medicine in New Jersey and to promote high-quality, safe, cost-effective blood transfusion practices through education and other efforts.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) is a 600-bed academic medical center and the principal hospital of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Robert Wood Johnson is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care. RWJUH is the first hospital in the nation to implant the AbioCor self-contained artificial heart since the device received FDA approval in 2006. RWJUH is one of only three sites in the nation approved to offer this groundbreaking technology. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). The hospital is also a Level 1 Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness. The hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is ranked among the top 50 hospitals in the nation for heart and heart surgery (No. 36), cancer (No. 40) respiratory disorders (No. 50), according to U.S.News & World Report’s 2009 ranking of “America’s Best Hospitals.” The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer has rated RWJUH among the nation's best comprehensive cancer centers. The Leapfrog Group rated RWJUH as one of the 50 exceptional U.S. hospitals, as published in Consumers Digest magazine. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified RWJUH as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. RWJUH is also a recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence for more than 10 consecutive years. Visit us online at www.rwjuh.edu.
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