Recognizing the need to address staff fatigue, anxiety, and stress after caring for hundreds of patients during the four waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) has dedicated a special breathing and rejuvenation room to support members of its nursing team. . The room was made possible by a generous donation from the Kaplan Family, as a tribute to the attention they received in 2020 during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The dedicated space is much more than a rest room for nurses. It has soothing colors, custom furniture designed specifically for relaxation and a quiet environment that allows nursing staff to move away from the hospital and take a much-needed moment. The plans for the Breathing Room arose from the work of RWJUH’s multidisciplinary committee Resilient Together, which was tasked with assessing and addressing staff fatigue after the first wave of the pandemic.
“Our nursing team has shown remarkable perseverance during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Courtney Vose, DNP, MBA, RN, APRN, NEA-BC, FAAN, senior vice president and director of nursing. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. “We are grateful to offer our nursing staff this dedicated space that allows them to decompress when they need it to continue to provide exceptional care to our patients.”
The Kaplan family business, Kaplan Companies, including family members Michael and Helen Kaplan, Jason Kaplan, Amy Kaplan-Schafer and Lisa Kaplan, is one of New Jersey’s largest regional builders. The Kaplans pledged to support the RWJUH nursing team after family patriarch and business owner Michael Kaplan fell ill in 2020. Michael and his family were impressed with the excellent nursing care he received at RWJUH. RWJUH nurses not only played a central role in his recovery, but also provided comfort and support to his wife during a difficult time.
“We are thrilled that Kaplan companies can do our part to help these wonderful nurses who heal and care for others every day,” says Jason Kaplan, President of Kaplan Companies. “Our recognition of nurses should not end after the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to support our nurses every day.”
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) New Brunswick, an RWJBarnabas health center, is a 600-bed academic medical center serving as the main teaching hospital at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers’ flagship cancer hospital. Cancer Institute of New Jersey. . Its centers of excellence include cardiovascular care, from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, orthopedics, bariatric surgery, and care for women and children, including Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch). .org). A level 1 trauma center and the first designated pediatric trauma center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its innovative approaches to emergency preparedness.
RWJUH has been named one of the best places to work in healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine and received the Equity Care of Award as Best Hospital for Diversity and Inclusion in Healthcare from the American Hospital Association. RWJUH Brunswick has received significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety, including the prestigious Magnet Award for Excellence in Nursing and the designation of “More Cabling” by Hospitals and Health Networks magazine. The Cancer Commission of the American College of Surgeons has ranked RWJUH New Brunswick among the best comprehensive cancer centers in the country.
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