Hackensack Meridian Raritan Bay Medical Center Collaborates with Middlesex County Vocational Technical School

Perth Amboy, NJ – February 18, 2020 – Culinary students from Middlesex County Vocational Technical School Perth Amboy Campus held a luncheon with Hackensack Meridian Raritan Bay Medical Center’s Integrative Medicine department. The students showcased what they’ve learned over the past year in regards to the value of organic produce and preparing nutritional meals.

“It’s great to see how much the high school students have learned from our Learning Garden,” said Thomas Shanahan, chief hospital executive, Raritan Bay Medical Center. “The luncheon created an opportunity for discussions about potential employment and volunteer opportunities for the students in Food & Nutrition as well as other departments within the hospital.”

The Learning Garden program, now in its sixth year, focuses on educating the community and Raritan Bay Medical Center team members about the benefits of organic container gardening and the nutritional and medicinal value of fresh produce. Raritan Bay Medical Center medical staff and select community partners fund the garden. Nina Regevik, M.D., ABIHM, Sara Quiles of Integrative Medicine, Raritan Bay Medical Center and Master Gardener Connie Elek provide education through Learning Garden programs.

For more information about Raritan Bay Medical Center, please visit www.rbmc.org.

Photo caption: Thomas Shanahan, chief hospital executive, Raritan Bay Medical Center, William DiStanislao, vice president, Operations, Raritan Bay Medical Center, gather with students from Middlesex County Vocational Technical School.

About Hackensack Meridian Raritan Bay Medical Center

For more than 100 years, Hackensack Meridian Raritan Bay Medical Center-Perth Amboy and Raritan Bay Medical Center-Old Bridge have provided a full continuum of health care services to residents of Central Jersey. Raritan Bay Medical Center is one of less than one percent of hospitals in the world to achieve Magnet Recognition, the “Gold Standard” for nursing practice, quality, and safety in patient care, four times. In 2019, U.S. News & World Report ranked Raritan Bay Medical Center as high performing in Orthopedics, Nephrology, COPD and Heart Failure.

The medical center is a New Jersey state designated Primary Stroke Center and recipient of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, recognizing optimal treatment of stroke patients. Raritan Bay is also a recipient of the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval and the AHA’s Heart Check Mark for Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers and the AHA’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award recognizing high-quality care of patients experiencing a severe heart attack.

The Joslin Diabetes Center, Affiliate at Raritan Bay-Old Bridge, provides the latest advances for treating diabetes and its complications as well as other metabolic and endocrine disorders. Among its flagship programs are the Human Motion Institute, a comprehensive orthopedic program, and Institute for Weight Loss at Raritan Bay-Old Bridge and Center for Bariatric Surgery at Raritan Bay-Perth Amboy, both specializing in weight loss surgery. As part of Hackensack Meridian Health, one of New Jersey’s most comprehensive health networks, patients have access to advanced specialized services with a seamless continuum of care, close to home.

For more information, visit www.rbmc.org. To make an appointment for an outpatient test or treatment, call 732-324-5270. For a free physician referral, call 1-800-560-9990.

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