Virtua is a non-profit healthcare system in southern New Jersey that operates a network of hospitals, surgery centers, physician practices, fitness centers, and more. Virtua hospitals are located in Berlin, Mount Holly, Marlton and Voorhees. Virtua is South Jersey's largest health care provider. The main headquarters are located in Marlton.
History
Virtua Memorial mother baby virtual tour - A virtual tour of the Virtua Memorial Mother Baby suites and the Pediatric Pavillion.
Virtua began as the West Jersey Health System in 1885 in Camden, New Jersey. In October 1998, Memorial Health Alliance and West Jersey Health System merged to create Virtua Health, the largest healthcare provider in South Jersey. Former President and CEO Richard Miller lead the merger. Miller instituted the philosophies and values currently used by the company. He also adopted the widely used business strategy known as Six Sigma, making Virtua one of the first healthcare systems to use its problem-solving techniques. Virtua’s stated philosophy is to provide the best patient experience through its STAR initiative. Through STAR, they attempt to practice quality health care and outstanding medical service.
The STAR Initiative
STAR launched in 2000, two years after the conception of Virtua. The idea behind the initiative was to provide employees with a framework to carry out the company’s philosophy: providing an "outstanding patient experience." There are five ideas to support the philosophy, each represented by one point on the star. The five points are Excellent Service, Caring Culture, Best People, Resource Stewardship and Highest Clinical Quality and Safety.
Hospitals
Berlin
In 2004, Virtua Berlin opened South Jersey’s first Acute Care for the Elderly Unit. In 1966, the West Jersey Health System purchased the hospital, and in 1998 it became known as Virtua West Jersey Hospital Berlin.
In 2014, Virtua announced its plan to submit a Certificate of Need application to the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) to transform the Berlin campus into an expanded outpatient and long-term care hub. It now features a 24/7 emergency service, enhanced long-term care and rehabilitation programs, and diagnostic and other essential services.
Mt. Holly (Memorial)
Virtua Memorial has 433 beds. Most of the births that take place at Virtua happen either here or at the hospital in Voorhees. Specialty programs include a sleep center, diabetes education and treatment including wound care, asthma management and cardiac rehabilitation.
Memorial will be rebuilt on a new location in Westampton, NJ.
Marlton
Virtua West Jersey Hospital Marlton has 188 beds. The hospital has specialty programs including arthritis management and joint replacement surgery, diabetes education and treatment, asthma management and cardiac catheterization. Formerly Garden State Community Hospital, Virtua Marlton was purchased in 1982 by what was then, West Jersey Health System.
Voorhees
The Virtua Voorhees campus is located on Bowman Drive and Route 73. Opened on May 22, 2011, the campus features a “digital hospital†and an outpatient facility. The hospital consists of 370 beds, each in a private room. After the grand opening of the Voorhees hospital, the former Voorhees site will be sold to Voorhees Township. Nearly 150 patients were safely transported from the former hospital to the current site. The Virtua Voorhees Ambulatory Care Center is part of the building and opened in 2012.
The Virtua Voorhees originally had its location about 3 miles from the current hospital, on Carnie Blvd. and Evesham Road (CR 544) in Voorhees. The hospital was built in 1973 near surrounding farms, which are currently housing developments. This location closed in 2011. Before relocating, the Virtua Voorhees campus had 336 beds and together with the hospital in Mt. Holly, Virtua delivered more babies than at any other of the Virtua facilities.
Outpatient centers
Virtua Ambulatory Surgery Center
Memorial Surgical is a licensed ambulatory surgical center on the campus of Virtua Memorial Hospital Burlington County. Outpatient surgery (also called same day surgery) is performed in the facility. The center also takes part in performance improvement studies and peer review between physicians.
Summit Surgical Center
Summit Surgical is a licensed ambulatory surgical center that relocated in the Spring of 2012 to the Health and Wellness Center attached to the Virtua Voorhees Hospital. Same day surgery is performed in the facility, which has seven operating suites and two procedure rooms. Approved by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Healthcare, Summit serves patients of all ages.
Berlin Rehab Center
Virtua Berlin Rehabilitation Center opened in 2000. The center has 120 beds and is located in a dedicated wing of Virtua West Jersey Hospital Berlin, making access to emergency facilities very easy, if ever needed. There is also a nursing wing for long term care patients.
Mt. Holly Rehab
Virtua Mt. Holly Rehabilitation Center is a 180-bed center, and is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Located just two blocks from Virtua Memorial Hospital Burlington County, this facility offers long term nursing, respite care, subacute care and palliative care.
Camden Outpatient Health Center
Virtua Camden offers many outpatient services including the Kyle W. Will Family Health Center. Through this center, patients have access to other practices such as: dentistry, podiatry, ophthalmology, gastroenterology, cardiology and wound care. The Emergency Center is a place where patients can go when experiencing medical problems. However, since it is not a hospital, any patient requiring further attention is transported to another facility.
Other facilities and services
William G. Rohrer Center for Heathfitness
Opened in July 2000. Virtua's Rohrer Center for Health and Fitness has a membership-based gym. The gym offers whirlpools, saunas, and massage therapists. Aside from the gym, there are physician offices as well as a cardiac rehabilitation center and a physical therapy center.
Health and Wellness Center Washington Township
The Virtua Health and Wellness Center located in Washington Township is a medical facility with many hospital-like features. The building contains physician offices, as well as facilities for diagnostic testing and outpatient surgery. There is also a state-of-the-art fitness center, much like the William G. Rohrer Center in Voorhees, a health spa, a café and an urgent care center. This facility opened in January 2010.
Health and Wellness Center Moorestown
Opened in 2012, The Virtua Health and Wellness Center located in Moorestown is a medical facility very similar to the Health and Wellness Center opened in Washington Township in 2010. It will include many of the same features, such as medical offices, a fitness center, health spa, urgent care center and more.
Virtua for Women Primary Care & Wellness Center
In 2014 Virtua launched Virtua for Women Primary Care & Wellness Center, located at its Health & Wellness Center in Moorestown. It's led by women practitioners and features offer longer appointment times in the hopes of building rapport with their patients. The program includes primary services specifically for women and ties in integrative medicine, nutritional services and stress management.
Joint Replacement Institute
In 2012 Virtua opened the Joint Replacement Institute (JRI) in the Virtua Voorhees Health and Wellness Center. The unit contains hybrid inpatient and outpatient rooms and specializes in short stay/same day quadriceps-sparing total knee replacements and minimally invasive hip surgery.
Emergency Medical Services
Mobile Intensive Care Unit
Virtua's mobile intensive care unit (MICU), working in conjunction with local ambulances, provides advanced life support paramedic service to Burlington and Camden Counties. Responding to over 50,000 calls for service annually, approximately 160 full- and part-time paramedics staff 13 medic units, of which all are in service 24 hours a days, seven days a week. The MICU also provides bikes team for special events and tactical paramedics who are specially trained to provide medical support to law enforcement agencies during special operations.
Medic Unit locations
31 - Mount Holly
32 - Cinnaminson
33 - Medford
34 - Mansfield
35 - Mount Laurel (special ops/tactical)
36 - Pemberton
41 - Voorhees
42 - Berlin
43 - Mount Ephraim
44 - Haddonfield
45 - Pennsauken
46 - Blackwood
47 - Cherry Hill
MICU History
The Virtua MICU was formed as part of the merger of the Memorial Health Alliance and West Jersey Health System, which operated the Burlington County Memorial Hospital MICU and West Jersey MICU, respectively. Both MICUs were of the original nine pilot projects instituted in the 1970s to determine the effectiveness of paramedic services. West Jersey MICU went in service April 14, 1977 with Medic 1 (Voorhees), Medic 2 (Berlin), and Medic 3 (Camden City). Burlington County Memorial Hospital MICU went in service on January 10, 1978 with CARE 1, operating out of Mount Holly.
SouthSTAR
Virtua provides a nurse and paramedic to staff SouthSTAR (Shock Trauma Air Rescue), which is one of two medical helicopters operated by the New Jersey State Police (the other being NorthSTAR, staffed by University Hospital in Newark). SouthSTAR is located at the Hammonton Municipal Airport and has been in operation since July 1988. This is no longer in service. Service was discontinued July 1, 2016.
Affiliations
Virtua/GE Alliance
In early 2004, Virtua Health announced an alliance with GE Healthcare, a global leader in medical imaging, point-of-care systems, healthcare services and information technology. The alliance will give Virtua early access to GE’s new technologies and equipment. GE’s stated goal is that through the example of Virtua their new designs and technologies will set a benchmark in the healthcare industry.
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
In 2011 The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Virtua announce they have developed a partnership that will provide pediatric services at Virtua’s facilities in Mount Holly and Voorhees. As part of the partnership, CHOP-employed physicians will provide care in Virtua’s inpatient pediatric units and its pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) as well as providing pediatric emergency care in its emergency departments.
References
External links
- Official website