Dr. Kenneth N. Sable Named Regional President of Southern Market

Hackensack Meridian Health, the most comprehensive and truly integrated non-profit health care network in New Jersey, is pleased to announce the appointment of Kenneth N. Sable, M.D., MBA, FACEP, as regional president of the network’s Southern Market.

This appointment is in conjunction with Hackensack Meridian Health’s new organizational structure to better align its services and improve the overall experience for patients across its 16 hospitals and 500 patient care locations throughout New Jersey. This new structure consists of three markets – North, Central and South - and an integrated clinical transformation service that will help to align all of the network’s services around the patient to ensure better coordination and outcomes.

As Southern Regional President, Dr. Sable will lead Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, Ocean Medical Center in Brick and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin.

Dr. Sable is the assistant dean for Integration for Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University. He recently served as the president of Jersey Shore University Medical Center and K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital. Jersey Shore University Medical Center is the only Level II Trauma Center in Monmouth and Ocean counties, with more than 1,500 physicians and dental staff in 60 specialty areas. Jersey Shore University Medical Center provides quality care in a patient-centered, environmentally-friendly setting. The Trauma Center recently has been verified as a Level II Pediatric Trauma Center by the Verification Review Committee. This achievement recognizes the Trauma Center’s dedication to providing optimal care for pediatric patients who experience a traumatic event.

Dr. Sable’s team commitment to excellence has earned recognition, including a number four ranking in New Jersey by U.S. News and World Report’s Best Regional Hospitals for 2018 and 2017.

Under Dr. Sable’s leadership, Jersey Shore University Medical Center programs and services have received national recognition, including designation as high-performing in cardiac, stroke, surgical and oncology services. Programs in surgery and psychiatry were also added to go along with the residency programs in internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics/gynecology. Additionally, the medical center significantly expanded its academic offerings with newly approved fellowships in critical care and endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, adding to existing fellowships in cardiology, pulmonary medicine and nephrology.

The medical center is recognized as the first hospital in New Jersey to have implanted the Micra® Transcatheter Pacing System – the world’s smallest pacemaker, and is one of the elite facilities in the region to perform robotic-assisted Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery and Transcarotid Arterial Revascularization (TCAR). Jersey Shore University Medical Center is one of three hospitals in the state to offer TCAR, the most advanced minimally invasive procedure that dramatically reduces the risk of stroke in patients being treated for carotid artery disease.

K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital is home to the first Craniofacial and Cleft Center in Monmouth and Ocean counties, where internationally-recognized experts perform some of the most complex pediatric craniofacial and cleft lip surgeries for conditions caused by trauma or congenital abnormalities. Likewise, the ALS Center at Jersey Shore University Medical Center is the only program dedicated to treating ALS in Monmouth and Ocean counties, and is one of the only hospitals in New Jersey to achieve The ALS Association’s Recognized Treatment Center designation.

Dr. Sable also served as the executive sponsor for the health network’s CardioVascular Care Transformation Service team. Making a positive and meaningful difference beyond the medical center, Dr. Sable is on the board of the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA), serves as chair of the NJHA’s Teaching Hospital Constituency Group, and on the Board of the NJHA Health Research and Educational Trust. He is also a board member of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Monmouth and Middlesex counties. Most recently, Dr. Sable became a member of the American Hospital Association’s Regional Policy Board 2, representing NJ, NY and PA.

Dr. Sable is a leader in innovation and transforming the way health care is delivered. A prime example is HOPE (Healing OutPatient Experience) Tower Project. Jersey Shore University Medical Center recently opened HOPE Tower, a $265 million facility that provides a new healing outpatient experience. A transformational space, HOPE Tower features: a state-of-the-art cancer center; physician offices for Medicine, Pediatrics, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Surgery and other subspecialists; academics and research facilities; outpatient services; imaging services; an innovative, state-of-the-art simulation laboratory as a place to train the next generation of health care professionals in a multidisciplinary team approach; an amphitheater and conference area for learning; and a nine level parking garage with more than 1,500 parking spaces for patients, guests and team members.

Under Dr. Sable’s leadership, Jersey Shore University Medical Center is also innovating through the use of new technologies to improve safety and quality of care. In 2016, the medical center, as part of the broader health network, introduced the TeleStroke Program, which provides patients with critical round the clock access to stroke diagnosis and treatment. The telemedicine neurologists are experts in acute stroke care, and work hand-in-hand with team intensivists, neurologists and neurosurgeons, providing real-time care, remotely.

At the end of 2017, Jersey Shore University Medical Center piloted Tele Behavioral Health in the Emergency Department. This service is designed to engage behavioral health team members across Hackensack Meridian Health. These experts can then help with diagnosis remotely. It is an important part of a much larger tele strategy for the organization.

Given his considerable IT background, including a degree in computer science and engineering, Dr. Sable brings an additional dimension of expertise to his leadership role. He serves as the executive sponsor for several EPIC modules, including ASAP (applied in the Emergency Room), OpTime (applied in the Operating Room), and Cupid (applied in Cardiology). He also serves as a member of the EPIC Steering Committee. Under Dr. Sable’s visionary and innovative leadership, each new initiative is designed to transform patient experience and provide the highest quality, human-centered care.

Prior to joining Hackensack Meridian Health, Dr. Sable served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for Saint Peter’s Healthcare System in New Brunswick, NJ, and vice chair for operations in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care.

Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 16 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children’s hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital in Neptune; nine community hospitals - Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, and Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood; and two rehabilitation hospitals - JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.

Additionally, the network has more than 450 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has 33,000 team members, and 6,500 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

The network’s notable distinctions include having one of only five major academic medical centers in the nation to receive Healthgrades America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award for five or more consecutive years, four hospitals among the top 10 in New Jersey by U.S. News and World Report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, recipient of the John M. Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety and Quality from The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum, a six-time recipient of Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” one of the “20 Best Workplaces in Health Care” in the nation, and the number one “Best Place to Work for Women.” The network was also named to Becker’s Healthcare’s “150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare/2018” list.

Hackensack Meridian Health partnered with Seton Hall University to launch the first private medical school in New Jersey – Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University - in more than 50 years to address a growing shortage of physicians and dramatic changes in health care delivery. Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it. Hackensack Meridian Health and Carrier Clinic, New Jersey’s oldest and most respected behavioral health provider, signed a definitive agreement to merge.

Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies.

For additional information, please visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org.