St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, part of the St. Joseph’s Health healthcare system, is a nonprofit, State-designated, specialized children’s hospital located on the campus of St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, NJ. St. Joseph’s is dedicated to treating the whole child – body, mind, and spirit – from birth to age 21. With 50 pediatric beds and 80 bassinettes, St. Joseph’s admits more than 4,000 infants, children, teens, and young adults each year. Our award-winning nurses and physicians, including 100 pediatric specialists, stand ready to care for every child who walks through our doors.
St. Joseph’s offers a full spectrum of comprehensive, multidisciplinary care including The Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders, dedicated Pediatric Emergency Department, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), and The Binder Autism Center. St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital is also home to Our World The Palestroni Center for Genetic Conditions, which includes our Regional Craniofacial Center and renowned Center for Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing. St. Joseph’s outpatient locations are conveniently located throughout Northern NJ.
Patient Population
One of the most unique factors distinguishing St. Joseph’s from many other healthcare systems is our mission-driven commitment to serving the most vulnerable and historically underserved populations – St. Joseph’s cares for all, regardless of insurance or ability to pay. St. Joseph’s University Medical Center/Children’s Hospital is consistently one of the top charity care providers in NJ (~$41M in 2018), and a safety net healthcare provider for tens of thousands in our region. This is critical, given that a sizeable percentage of our catchment area comprises indigent, minority, immigrant, and/or single-parent families. Nearly 30% of the area’s population lives in poverty (3x the state average), including 40% of children under 18. With nearly 150,000 residents, Paterson is NJ’s third most populous city, but has one of the lowest per capita income levels in the state, and an unemployment rate of at least 8%. Many Patersonians face significant barriers to health and wellness, including lack of insurance and access to transportation, primary care, and healthy food. Many are linguistically isolated and struggle with health literacy.
Honors and Accomplishments
St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital boasts the technology, innovation, and talent required to meet the unique needs of our patients and their families. In 2018, St. Joseph’s University Medical Center/Children’s Hospital attained Magnet Recognition®, nursing’s highest honor, for the fifth consecutive time &emdash; an accomplishment spanning 20 years and attained by only 12 hospitals nationwide. In 2016, the Children’s Hospital was designated as the region’s newest Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Pediatric Cancers and Blood Disorders, a prestigious honor that enables us to provide comprehensive psychosocial support, at no cost to our patients’ families. Our Center for Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing is the only one of its kind in NJ, and draws patients from 40 states and 9 countries.
Future Direction
Beginning in 2019, St. Joseph’s will invest $55 million to renovate our Women’s & Children’s Pavilion. Priority projects include creating a state-of-the-art, family-centered NICU for our tiniest, most vulnerable patients and their families; expanding our PICU for children with the most complex and emergent conditions; and constructing private post-partum rooms for new mothers, to provide comfort and promote maternal/child bonding. Also underway is construction of the Santo LoConte Center for Child Safety, Resiliency and Advocacy, which will house several critical programs that address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), an evidence-based approach to help families break the cycle of poverty.
To learn more about how philanthropy makes a difference at St. Joseph’s Health, and how you can get involved, visit www.GiveToStJosephs.org.
The 11th Annual 4 Miler
Saturday October 1, 2022
Garret Mountain, Woodland Park, NJ
