HUMC - Complementary Medicine

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The Complementary Medicine Program at Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) anchors the institution to a value-based philosophy that a hospital can best serve its patients, employees, and the community by providing medical care in a nurturing environment. HUMC’s commitment to this patient-centered approach is reinforced by our affiliation with Planetree, a renowned, non-profit organization whose holistic approach encourages healing in all dimensions — mental, emotional, spiritual, and social, as well as physical.

(Click on a green ball to move to that topic.)
Our Planetree Affiliation
The Human Connection of Complementary Medicine
Benefits of the Planetree Approach
Goals of the Complementary Medicine Program
Taking Care of the Caregivers
A Soothing Environment Designed for Healing
Patient Amenities for Solace and Comfort
Complementary Therapies Available (for Inpatients)

Deeply Rooted in the Planetree Philosophy
Hackensack University Medical Center is the first hospital in New Jersey to affiliate with Planetree, a non-profit organization that is considered a pioneer in personalizing, humanizing, and demystifying the healthcare experience. The planetree, also called a sycamore tree, is the type of tree under which Hippocrates, the founder of modern medicine, sat when he began teaching his medical students many centuries ago. The roots of a planetree grow deep, just as the Planetree philosophy does in each of its affiliates. Planetree's approach — and ours as New Jersey’s first Planetree affiliate — is to change the way patients and their families traditionally experience healthcare. (Click here for more information about Planetree. )

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The Human Connection of Complementary Medicine
The committed focus of the Complementary Medicine Program, which mirrors the Planetree Model, is on providing services that enhance life while restoring health. The Planetree Model is patient-centered rather than provider-focused, thus it improves medical care from the patient's perspective. It encourages a human connection between patients and those who care for them. It also empowers patients and families through medical education, complementary therapies, and social support services.

Benefits of the Planetree Approach
Hackensack University Medical Center’s adoption of the Planetree approach has many benefits for both patients and caregivers:

lowers the threshold of anxiety
reduces discontentment
diffuses stressful situations
improves patient outcomes, and
decreases stress-related illnesses.

Goals of the HUMC Complementary Medicine Program
The goals of Hackensack University Medical Center’s Complementary Medicine Program include:

encouraging caregivers to look at the patient as an individual, not just as a disease process, and to create a human connection with him or her
providing safe complementary care alternatives that meet the needs of a diverse population
bridging the cultural gap of how varied ethnic groups deal with illness by educating the caregivers about the cultural differences in dealing with disease
accepting that each patient responds to illness differently. A caregiver does not have the right to refuse an individual’s beliefs or stigmatize those who believe in alternative treatments other than those traditionally recommended, and
empowering patients with education about their illness so they can become more active participants in decisions that affect their health and well being.

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Taking Care of the Caregivers
Another key component of the Complementary Medicine Program and the Planetree Model is the formation of "healing partnerships" with caregivers. This is accomplished by creating a nurturing environment for staff members as well as patients.

Taking care of our caregivers is one of the top priorities of the Hackensack University Medical Center administration, because it:

enhances employee morale
promotes a healthier atmosphere for them, their patients, and family members, and
provides staff with ways to cope with the busy and demanding pace of healthcare.

The Complementary Medicine Program offers stress management programs tailored to specific patient care areas (i.e. oncology, geriatrics, pediatrics, emergency room) so that staff members can receive help in dealing with a particular type of patient or situation.

Staff members also are encouraged to take advantage of the holistic services offered at The Center for Health and Healing and other health and beauty modalities available at BEYOND Day Spa.

A Soothing Environment Designed for Healing
The interior design of Hackensack University Medical Center has been carefully planned and designed to foster a soothing environment. This design approach has scientifically-based roots in complementary medicine philosophies. A soothing environment fosters relaxation and tranquility, is aesthetically appealing to patients, and does not have an antiseptic look. (To view the interior designs of Hackensack University Medical Center, click Virtual Tours. )

Patient Amenities for Solace and Comfort
Inpatients can find solace on their in-room televisions when they tune into the relaxation channel (broadcast 24-hours a day), which displays serene nature scenes set to soothing music selections. Another patient amenity that humanizes the hospitalization experience is the provision of modesty-minded gowns and pajamas that help patients feel at ease during what can be a stressful time. The collection consists of drawstring pants, boxers and pullover tops, side and front-snap gowns, and a robe. These designs, created by Nicole Miller, were commissioned by the medical center to help patients maintain their dignity and pride. (To view this specially designed sleepwear, click Nicole Miller Gowns and Pajamas. )

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Complementary Therapies Available (for Inpatients)
The Complementary Medicine Program is committed to coordinating requests for alternative care that provides comfort for each individual. Types of commonly requested alternative approaches to healing include:

Prayer
Working in conjunction with the Pastoral Care Department, the program assures that special provisions are made, if needed, for the prayer rituals of a diverse population.
Massage
Arrangements can be made for a patient to receive a massage while hospitalized.
Vitamins
Patients who wish to continue their vitamin regime while hospitalized should voice this request to their physicians. When this request is part of physician’s orders for his or her patient, vitamins are available from the Hackensack University Medical Center Pharmacy.

Hackensack University Medical Center also offers health and beauty modalities at the Beyond Day Spa, which bridges traditional skin and body care with medical treatments. (For more information about these services, click BEYOND Day Spa. )

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