Newswise — Edison, NJ – December 16, 2021 – Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation is pleased to announce a $3 million gift from the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation to create The H. Hovnanian Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Behavioral Health at Hackensack Meridian Health. This is the first endowed chair funded by the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation at Hackensack Meridian Health and will support the work of Gary Small, M.D., chair, Department of Psychiatry, Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center and physician-in-chief, Behavioral Health, Hackensack Meridian Health, as the inaugural chair holder.
“It is with great pleasure that my family and I make this generous gift to fund the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Behavioral Health at Hackensack Meridian Health,” said Edele Hovnanian. “The continued need for compassionate and innovative behavioral health services in New Jersey is great, and it is our hope that this gift will ensure that Hackensack Meridian Health remains committed to advancing research and care services for patients and their loved ones for years to come.”
Dr. Small joined Hackensack Meridian Health in November 2020 and oversees all professional and administrative activities within the Behavioral Health Care Transformation Service. Prior to joining Hackensack Meridian Health, Dr. Small was a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences, Parlow-Solomon professor on aging at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, director of the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, and director of the UCLA Longevity Center. He is known nationally and internationally for his public work in promoting the practice of psychiatry and innovative research on brain health and aging.
“We are so heartwarmingly moved by the continued generosity of the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation,” said Joyce P. Hendricks, president and chief development officer, Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation. “This particular gift has the incredible power to make a lasting difference in the lives of behavioral health patients and their loved ones for years to come. We are truly grateful for this extraordinary gift.”
Among his other duties within the network’s behavioral health services, Dr. Small oversees educational programs and training, is responsible for clinical operations of the department, develops and expands research and academic programs, and develops and maintains quality initiatives. He also leads Hackensack Meridian Health’s recruiting efforts for physicians within the behavioral health field.
“I am honored to be the inaugural chair of The H. Hovnanian Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Behavioral Health at Hackensack Meridian Health, as funded by the generosity of the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation,” said Dr. Small. “I am grateful for this generous gift, which will allow Hackensack Meridian Health, and our behavioral health care teams throughout the network, to be a leading provider of psychiatric care services in New Jersey. We will be able to have a major impact during this challenging time for many of those in our community suffering from behavioral health issues.”
To learn more about how you can make a gift to support behavioral health at Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation, contact Michael Loch, director of Development, Behavioral Health, at 908-281-1495, [email protected], or visit https://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/Donate.
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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