New Signs Honor Healthcare Workers At Virtua Hospitals

Virtua Health is honoring health care workers who continue to help all patients while also being on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic with big, bold letter-shaped signs spell the words “HEROES WORK HERE” on the grounds outside all five of the health system’s hospitals.

Virtua calls it “an expression of thanks from MJ Corp, a Mount Laurel-based company whose co-owner has a personal interest in uplifting Virtua’s workforce.”

MJ Corp is an advertising and sign company that has worked with Virtua for 10 years. Throughout that time, the company has generously supported many of Virtua’s philanthropic initiatives.

But in April, the professional relationship became a personal one when the wife of MJ Corp co-owner John Dikmak fell and required emergency shoulder surgery.

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“I could not be with my wife [in the hospital] because of the coronavirus,” Dikmak said. “I felt helpless watching Lynda being driven away in an ambulance and knowing I could not go with her.”

According to Virtua, Lynda Intenzo was an inpatient at Virtua Voorhees Hospital for two days after the surgery. The family told the health system it is grateful for the exceptional care and comfort she received from the entire Virtua team.

“Although the coronavirus is at the forefront of everyone’s mind right now, that doesn’t mean other ailments and injuries go away,” said Paul Minnick, chief operating officer for Virtua’s hospitals in Marlton and Voorhees. “We are simultaneously providing care for people with and without COVID-19, and are doing so in a way that prioritizes safety and prohibits the virus from spreading.”

To achieve this, all Virtua hospitals have enacted a number of additional safety measures. These include installing Plexiglas dividers at many reception areas; providing masks to all patients and employees; increasing the number of hand-sanitizer stations; and asking coronavirus screening questions.

“The kindness and care we experienced will never be forgotten, and it’s not just my family that feels this way,” Dikmak said. “Now, more than ever, health care workers need to know how much the world thanks them.”

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