CentraState - Healthy Directions

John T. Gribbin, FACHE President and CEO President's Message… Healthy Directions is produced by CentraState Healthcare System, Freehold, New Jersey. Fall 2015 Editorial Advisors Joseph R. Iantosca Chair, Board of Trustees John T. Gribbin, FACHE President and CEO Jack H. Dworkin, MD, FACC Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Linda W. Geisler, RN, MNEd, NEA-BC, FACHE Vice President, Patient Care Services Kim A. Kelly, RN, MS, NEA-BC, FACHE Vice President, Clinical Services Rich Mackesy Vice President, Strategic Planning & Business Development Abbey M. Luterick Director, Public Relations and Communications Please note that physicians on staff are private practitioners and not employed by CentraState. We hope you enjoy this issue of Healthy Directions. Comments about the publication can be directed to the Public Relations and Marketing Department, CentraState Healthcare System, 901 West Main Street, Freehold, NJ, 07728. (732) 294-7080. Healthy Directions is published by CentraState Healthcare System to provide general health information. It is not intended to provide personal medical advice, which should be obtained directly from a health care provider. Community Voices… Editor–CentraState Brian Johnson Writers Susan Bloom Stephanie Duncan Chris N. Johnson Randi Ivler Photographers Peter Chollick Rich Schaub Kevin Birch Jeff Tureaud Designer Sherri Thornton Over the past eight years, we've seen the Star and Barry Tobias Ambulatory Campus grow into and exceed the vision and goals we initially intended for it: to offer people the tools and knowledge to take charge of their own health. It has become a place for the community to learn how to live their healthiest lives possible and a place to set their health goals in motion. If you've visited our Ambulatory Campus, you've likely noticed the slogan "Live Life Well" throughout the facility. This is a philosophy we are committed to, and we want everyone in our community to live the healthiest life they can. We still strongly feel that the services and programs the Ambulatory Campus provides represent the future of health care. Its purpose is to enhance the community's wellness and keep people out of the other side of the hospital. We do this through screenings, programs, classes and lectures, fitness services, support groups, nutrition counseling, rehabilitation, health coaches and more. The Star and Barry Tobias Health Awareness Center is the focal point of Live Life Well. The efforts of the staff of the Health Awareness Center have been to reorganize and revitalize the Health Awareness Center with innovative programs to usher members of the community through our doors. One such program is the Quick Start Program, which is an eight-week, custom coaching program designed to help people set up and achieve their optimal health goals. To help enhance the Live Life Well message with our community, in addition to ads, billboards, and other marketing media, we have launched livelifewellnj.com, an interactive, user-friendly website with tips to help community members achieve wellness, and a portal for easy access to register for classes and events. Please help spread the word of Live Life Well to family and friends, and help us achieve our vision of a community focused on wellness. When the surgeon began relating the results of my biopsy, he began with the adverb "unfortunately." That, coupled with the many films taken during the mammography, pointed to a less than stellar result. My mother was young at the time of her breast cancer diagnosis; I was not. Every year that the results of my most recent mammography were good was a gift. But in my mind, it was just a matter of time before my luck would run out. So, was I surprised? Not really. I went in for a lumpectomy and was told the prognosis was good. But having breast cancer is a journey, and to say that it is a roller coaster of a ride would not be an understatement. I don't know which is worse—the diagnosis or the decisions as to what to do about it. Radiation was the protocol for me without the need for chemotherapy. Because of my diagnosis, I discovered a whole new community and family. Every day for six weeks, I went for treatment at the Karen Olbis Radiation Oncology Center at CentraState Medical Center. The radiation therapists were caring, pleasant and fun. The routine was set, the therapists all knew me and what had to be done. They were professionals all the way with hearts of gold. The irony was that I often thought how lucky I was to have found these people, this center and some much needed love and care. I told them that I wish I didn't have to make this part of my daily routine, but since I did, I felt good walking through that door. I once read an article in which a woman wrote that getting cancer was one of the best things that happened to her because she found a new purpose in life. Now I understand what she meant. I don't know what the future holds. There are no clear-cut answers with cancer, but I am optimistic that maybe, just maybe, the result will be as positive as my experience at CentraState. Gilda Brovender Marlboro

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