Advancing the Health of Our Community
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis and beyond, Capital Health and its physicians are meeting the dynamic health care needs of the community by advancing patient care, expanding services, and reaffirming its commitment to being a trusted health care provider in Central New Jersey and Lower Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
“Even before the pandemic loomed so large in our lives, Capital Health was always pivoting to address the ever-changing health care priorities of the people in our region, thanks in great part to the efforts of the physicians on our medical staff,” said Al Maghazehe, president and CEO of Capital Health. “With continuing investments in technology and facilities, we provide the communities we serve convenient access to high quality care, but with the area’s most diverse line-up of medical services, it’s our medical staff that makes the difference.”
In the early days of the
pandemic, Capital Health took a proactive and organized approach to planning and implementing a community response. Under the leadership of Dr. Marc Whitman, hospital epidemiologist and infectious disease section chief at Capital Health, and in coordination with the national and local health agencies, Capital Health instituted community education efforts and comprehensive safety protocols in its hospitals and outpatient facilities to keep patients, employees, and the community safe while receiving care.
To help reduce the spread of COVID-19, Capital Health Medical Group physicians expanded their video visit program to save patients a trip to the office and allow them to meet with a primary care or specialty care provider from the safety and convenience of their homes. Using their computers or mobile devices, patients receive the same quality care as they would in a Capital Health office.
For health care and emergency services workers who are treating COVID-19 patients every day, the experiences can be physically and emotionally exhausting. To address the emotional needs of those in the Mercer/Bucks region, Capital Health – Behavioral Health Specialists, led by Medical Director Dr. Christi Weston, launched a Support Counseling Program (SCP) in a joint effort with NJ Hope and Healing and the New Jersey Department of Human Services. The SCP helps frontline workers cope with the challenges of the pandemic through individual and group counseling, education, and support services.
As the fight against COVID-19 progresses, Capital Health is advancing patient care in other areas, such as minimally invasive robotic surgery. When appropriate, robotic-assisted surgery can be used to treat many cancers and benign conditions with smaller incisions, lower risk of infection, less pain, and faster recoveries. Under the direction of Dr. Cataldo Doria, medical director of the Capital Health Cancer Center and physician director of the Robotic Surgery Center of Excellence, Capital Health Medical
Center – Hopewell recently earned designation as a Robotic Surgery Center of Excellence, and Dr. Doria was designated as a Surgeon of Excellence in Robotic Surgery for his outstanding work in treating conditions and cancers related to the liver, pancreas, and bile duct.
Addressing the need for comprehensive lung services in the region, Capital Health launched its state-ofthe-art Lung Center at Capital Health Medical Center — Hopewell. As co-leads of the Lung Center, Dr. Diana Kolman, director of Interventional Pulmonology, and Dr. Africa Wallace, director of Thoracic Surgery, share a common goal — to identify and treat a broad range of potentially life-threatening lung conditions early, when they are most treatable.
Capital Health Medical Group, a network of more than 500 physicians and other providers, has added new primary care offices in Hamilton, Bordentown, and Browns Mills. Capital Health OB/GYN, a comprehensive women’s health practice, has expanded to
include locations in Bordentown, Browns Mills, Hamilton, Pennington, Lawrenceville and Trenton (formerly the Healthstart Clinic), with a Langhorne location in nearby Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Now, more than ever, Capital Health physicians lead the most advanced health care programs for patients here in Central New Jersey. To learn more about Capital Health and its first class medical staff, visit capitalhealth.org and click on the link labeled “Find a Doctor.”