The New Jersey Hospital Association will host its Best at the Beach event July 7 at Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch – a beachfront celebration for the healthcare community and all N.J. leaders committed to good health in the Garden State.
“NJHA is delighted to raise a toast ‘to health!’ at the must-attend event of the summer for New Jersey’s healthcare professionals, policymakers and business leaders,” said NJHA President and CEO Cathy Bennett. “NJHA’s members always stand strong for their communities, and this is an opportunity to reconnect and unwind with colleagues in a fun, casual atmosphere. What better place to gather than at the beautiful Jersey Shore?”
Among the festivities, NJHA’s Best at the Beach will celebrate the Lifetime Achievement of retiring CEOs Barry Ostrowsky of RWJBarnabas Health and John Gribbin of CentraState Healthcare System. The event will also honor the Distinguished Service of Leslie Hirsch, President and CEO of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, and Don Parker, president of Hackensack Meridian Health Carrier Clinic.
Additional honorees at NJHA’s Best at the Beach are:
- Distinguished Service - Operational Excellence: Peter Diestel, President of Operations, The Valley Hospital
- Lifetime Achievement - Consider Kindness: Margaret Belfield, MSN, RN, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer (retired), AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center
- Lifetime Achievement - Behavioral Health: Joseph A. Miller, Vice President, Behavioral Health Care Transformation Services, Hackensack Meridian Health (presented posthumously)
- Lifetime Achievement - Trustee: David A. Kindlick, Chairman, Virtua Health Board of Trustees
- Clinical Excellence: Timothy Lise, Executive Director of Pharmacy Services, Atlantic Health System
- Connect Award for Outstanding Communications: Mask Up, Get Vaccinated and Get Boosted, Saint Peter's Healthcare System
- Diversity & Inclusion: Avonia Richardson-Miller, Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer, Hackensack Meridian Health
- Emerging Leader: Heleema Jackson, RN, Nurse Manager of Patient Flow Management Center, Jefferson Health - New Jersey
- Excellence in Patient Experience: CenteringPregnancy program, St. Joseph's Health
- Healthy New Jersey: Virtua Expands Food Access Amid Pandemic, Virtua Health
- Innovation in Elder Services: Al’Asia Powell, Director of Quality and Patient Safety,
Inspira LIFE
- Operational Transformation: Combined Medical Group, RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Health
- Strategy Action: Michael Pietrowicz, Senior Vice President, Planning and Program Development and Chief Strategy Officer, Englewood Health
NJHA’s Best of the Beach will be held July 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Ocean Place Resort and Spa in Long Branch, featuring a beach BBQ, cocktails, live island music from The Verdict and more. Healthcare stakeholders, legislators, business leaders and others who want to join in saluting New Jersey’s healthcare community can visit www.njha.com/best-at-the-beach .
