Laura Bianchini, vice president and project director at Almasi Site Contractors, named chair of Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation.
Old Bridge – March 2, 2022 – Hackensack Meridian Raritan Medical Center Foundation and Hackensack Meridian Old Bridge Medical Center Foundation are pleased to announce the appointment of Laura Bianchini as chair of the medical centers’ respective board of trustees, replacing chair Andrew Citron, M.D., who served in the position from 2017 to 2021. Bianchini will take over leadership of the board in its fundraising efforts in support of Hackensack Meridian Old Bridge Medical Center in Old Bridge and Hackensack Meridian Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy.
“It is an honor to be named as chair of these two successful foundations,” says Bianchini, who is also vice president and project director at Almasi Site Contractors. “I joined the board of trustees in 2020, and in just a short time, have witnessed the incredible impact of philanthropy on both medical centers and in patient care. I would like to thank and acknowledge Dr. Citron for his dedication and care for our community, not just as board chair, but also as chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology for Raritan Bay Medical Center. His generosity and leadership know no bounds and we are grateful for the support he helped to secure for both medical centers in his time as chair. I look forward to building on the momentum he helped to create and to continuing the wonderful legacy of generosity established at both locations.”
In October 2021, Hackensack Meridian Health, the network to which Raritan Bay Medical Center and Old Bridge Medical Center belong, announced a name change for both medical centers from Raritan Bay Medical Center – Perth Amboy and Raritan Bay Medical Center – Old Bridge, to Raritan Bay Medical Center and Old Bridge Medical Center, respectively. The change in names reflects each medical center’s growth and the shift in each hospital’s area of expertise, however the singular board of trustees will continue to serve both medical centers.
Under Dr. Citron’s leadership, Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation raised more than $5.6 million for both medical centers to support initiatives such as the expansion of behavioral health services in Perth Amboy, the new Emergency Care Center in Old Bridge and for COVID-19 relief efforts at both medical centers.
“I am grateful to Andy for his incredible partnership and leadership of our board of trustees over the years,” says William DiStanislao, interim president and chief hospital executive at Raritan Bay Medical Center and Old Bridge Medical Center. “Philanthropy is vital to health care, really enabling us to enhance patient care in a number of ways. I would like to thank our entire board of trustees for all of their efforts on our behalf and to welcome Laura as the new board chair. There are many important projects on the horizon for both medical centers and it’s an exciting time to lead our fundraising efforts.”
In addition to her work on the Raritan Bay Medical Center and Old Bridge Medical Center foundation boards, Almasi is a trustee for the National Association of Female Executives and the National Association of Safety Professionals, and is an active member of several organizations. She is an OSHA Outreach and Hazardous Waste Operations trainer and holds a Homeland Security-Terrorism Authorization Certificate.
“Laura is going to be a wonderful leader for our dedicated board of trustees,” says Dr. Citron. “The Old Bridge community is expanding rapidly and with that, growth is required. I know that under her leadership, the organization will be able to attract additional trustees for the board who will work in lock-step to increase funding to meet these growing needs. Likewise, the Perth Amboy community is changing rapidly and funds will be needed to meet those shifts to ensure equal and high quality health care for everyone. It has been my privilege to serve as the board chair and I will continue to support the trustees in their crucial work.”
To learn more about how you can support Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation, Old Bridge Medical Center Foundation, or if you are interested in joining the board of trustees, please contact Melissa Magyar, executive director, Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation and Old Bridge Medical Center Foundation, at 732-324-5376, Melissa.Magyar@hmhn.org, or visit Give.HackensackMeridianHealth.org/raritanbay.
ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN RARITAN BAY MEDICAL CENTER
For more than 100 years, Hackensack Meridian Raritan Bay Medical Center and Old Bridge Medical Center 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.
For more information, visit www.rbmc.org.
ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH
Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit healthcare organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care.
Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 17 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune and JFK University Medical Center in Edison; one university teaching hospital – Ocean University Medical Center in Brick; two children’s hospitals – Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital in Neptune; eight community hospitals – Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Old Bridge Medical Center in Old Bridge, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin; a behavioral health hospital – Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead; and two rehabilitation hospitals – JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.
Additionally, the network has more than 500 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness center, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has more than 36,000 team members, and 7,000 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.
The network’s notable distinctions include having more top-ranked hospitals than anyone in New Jersey, as recognized by U.S. News & World Report, 2021-22. Hackensack University Medical Center is the only hospital in New Jersey with the #1 adult and children’s hospital rankings.
John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center is New Jersey’s best cancer center, as recognized by U.S. News & World Report, 2021-22. This premier cancer center is also the largest and most comprehensive center dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment, management, research, screenings, and preventive care as well as survivorship of patients with all types of cancers. John Theurer Cancer Center is part of Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center.
Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to ensure that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it.
The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its first class of students in 2018 to its campus in Nutley and Clifton. The Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI), housed in a fully renovated state-of-the-art facility, seeks to translate current innovations in science to improve clinical outcomes for patients with cancer, infectious diseases and other life-threatening and disabling conditions.
Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies. To learn more, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org.
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April Dunic
Executive Director, Communications
