Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital to Host Matters of the Heart Event on April 16

In honor of National Donate Life Month, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) will host “Matters of the Heart 2015: Heart Transplantation – The Greatest Gift of Love is Life” on Thursday, April 16, 2015, to celebrate lifesaving transplants and donations, and to raise awareness in the community of the continued need for organ donors. The event will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The Arline and Henry Schwartzman Courtyard, located at 1 Robert Wood Johnson Place in New Brunswick, NJ.

Focusing on cardiac transplant surgery, the event will include a presentation from keynote speaker Jesus Almendral, M.D., Director of the Heart Transplant Program at RWJUH and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, to further educate the community on cardiovascular health and transplantation. Paula Gutierrez, MHA, Hospital Services Manager at NJ Sharing Network, will also be speaking at the event to discuss the life-saving benefits of organ and tissue donation and the ongoing need for more registered organ donors. Following Dr. Almendral and Gutierrez, participants will hear from a donor’s family and two donor recipients, who will share their unique stories of hope, perseverance, and generosity.

According to Donate Life America, there are currently more than 123,000 men, women and children awaiting organ transplants to save their lives and thousands more are in need of tissue and cornea transplants to restore their mobility and sight. Unfortunately, there have been only 1,257 donors in the U.S. this past year and on average, 21 people die each day waiting for that organ transplant. Attend Matters of the Heart 2015 and see the difference that people are making through transplantation and donation.

Seating is limited and registration is required for this event. To register please call 1-888-637-9584. A suggested donation of $10 includes parking, light refreshments, exhibits and a gift bag. Proceeds benefit the RWJ Community Health Promotions Program.

To learn more about RWJUH, please visit www.rwjuh.edu. For a referral to a physician affiliated with RWJUH, please call 1-888-MD-RWJUH. Follow us on Twitter at www.rwjuh.edu/twitter and Facebook at www.rwjuh.edu/facebook.

About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Robert Wood Johnson Health System

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) is the flagship hospital of Robert Wood Johnson Health System – New Jersey’s premier health system which boasts three acute care hospitals: RWJUH in New Brunswick and Somerville; RWJUH- Hamilton and RWJUH- Rahway and a national leader in pediatric rehabilitation: Children’s Specialized Hospital, as well as five fitness and wellness centers and numerous outpatient facilities. Through RWJ Health System, patients have access to exceptional women’s and children’s services and expert cancer, cardiac, emergency, neurology, stroke, trauma and pediatric rehabilitation care in addition to comprehensive health and wellness programs.

RWJUH is a 965-bed academic medical center with campuses in New Brunswick and Somerville, NJ. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, joint replacement, and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). As the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the principal teaching hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, RWJUH is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care. A Level 1 Trauma Center and the only Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.

RWJUH has been ranked among the best hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report seven times and has been selected by the publication as a high performing hospital in numerous specialties. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital has been ranked among the best hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report for three consecutive years.

Both the New Brunswick and Somerset campuses have earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety, including the prestigious Magnet® Award for Nursing Excellence, an “A” patient safety rating from the Leapfrog Group and “Most Wired” designation by Hospitals and Health Networks Magazine. The Joint Commission and the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services have designated the New Brunswick Campus as a Comprehensive Stroke Center and the Somerset Campus as a Primary Stroke Center.

The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer has rated RWJUH New Brunswick among the nation’s best comprehensive cancer centers and designated the Steeplechase Cancer Center at RWJ Somerset as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center. The Joint Surgery Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset has earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for total knee and total hip replacement surgery.

For more Information visit us online at www.rwjuh.edu.