Impact

Each and every day we focus on making the greatest impact we can. We work to keep pace with changes in healthcare delivery, to invest in technologies and education for improved patient care and safety, and work to improve the lives and wellness of our community as a whole.

Please take a moment to listen to Michelle's video on the impact that Hunterdon Health has made on her life.

DONOR SPOTLIGHT

Gloria and Ed Herder have been supporters of Hunterdon Health since before there ever was a Hunterdon Medical Center.

“As high-school sweethearts, we played special concerts given by the Flemington High School band as fundraisers for the new hospital,” Gloria explains.  “People came and gave their nickels, dimes and quarters to build what became known as the ‘miracle in a cornfield.’”

The couple has been at it ever since.

Gloria worked as a nurse at Hunterdon Medical Center and developed a full understanding of the needs of the community first hand. For his part, Ed joined the Board of Trustees, and in over 28 years, grew to understand the impact that individual gifts would have in ensuring that Hunterdon Medical Center remained one of the leading community hospitals in the U.S.

In 2021, the couple made an impact themselves, with a donation towards the expansion of Hunterdon’s Emergency Department. “Long-range capital needs are planned ahead to provide things like operating equipment and diagnostic tests,” Ed explains. “Much of the equipment can never return enough revenue to pay for the highly sensitive and expensive nature of the machine. Without individual contributions, we would not be able to keep the facility on the cutting edge.”

The Emergency Department sees roughly 31,000 patients per year. The gift from the Herders will help increase the department’s current capacity by more than 30%, decreasing patient wait times and provide more fully prepared and monitored rooms so that patients can receive even better care.

“Time is of the essence for most patients that present to the ER,” says Ed Spector, MD, Chairman, Emergency Medicine at Hunterdon. “For example, heart attack and stroke patients need medications and interventions that are time dependent. Time equals heart muscle and brain. The faster they get diagnosed and treated, the more likely they are to have a better outcome.”

In addition, the new beds provided by the Herder's gift will be mental health certified, meaning they are safe for patients that are actively in danger of harming themselves. Spector says that will be a great benefit to all of Hunterdon’s emergency room patients, when up to 50% of the beds could be filled with patients suffering from mental health issues. “We have a mental health crisis in the U.S. and unfortunately, many psychiatric patients have to wait days until they are accepted for admission at a specialized inpatient psychiatric facility,” he says. “We are responsible for their safety while they are in our care.”

The Herders understand that everyone in the community is affected by the quality of care at an emergency room. “There’s not a soul in Hunterdon County that has not had an experience at the ER,” says Gloria. “Whether that’s themselves, a loved one, a friend, a neighbor or a stranger in an auto accident along our highways.”

In addition, the Herders would encourage those who are able to also participate in this worthwhile project to provide for our community’s future. “We would encourage folks to have conversations with representatives from the Foundation about the opportunities available, it feels good to do,” says Gloria. “Don’t think about giving in terms of bricks and mortar or specialized equipment. Rather, know that thanks to your gift, someone got their life back.”