RWJBarnabas Health Names Vice President of Emergency Services

RWJBarnabas Health recently announced Laura A. Lark has been appointed Vice President of Emergency Services. Reporting to John F. Bonamo, M.D., RWJBarnabas Health Executive Vice President and Chief Medical and Quality Officer, Ms. Lark will be responsible for identifying and implementing best practices in Emergency Departments across the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, helping each of the system’s facilities deliver optimal care.

“Laura is exceptional at leading and managing multidisciplinary teams,” said Dr. Bonamo. “As creative as she is analytical, she has the ability to absorb and process large quantities of information and synthesize them. She will be integral to the achievement of our goal: growing and developing our EDs to be able to provide our communities with the highest quality care and safest experience.”

Ms. Lark was formerly Director of Client Services for Envision Healthcare in Parsippany, NJ, where she developed and implemented system projects, programs and solutions for Emergency and Hospitalist operations and service lines. Accountable for project management across 11 client sites totaling 20 different programs, she collaborated with system and site level administration to strategize and develop initiatives and served as liaison between various departments to drive positive results.

In this former role, Ms. Lark was also part of RWJBarnabas Health’s Tackling Addiction Task Force, which is working across New Jersey to execute a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach that is changing the narrative of addiction in the state.

Prior to her position at Envision, Ms. Lark served as Emergency Department Liaison Supervisor at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility. There she created solutions in quality and patient satisfaction, collaborated with physicians to develop clear lines of communication to improve work flow and ensure continuum of care and guided the leadership team to achieve a 15% increase in a national patient satisfaction ranking. Ms. Lark also achieved heightened department satisfaction through project management, oversaw implementation and sustainability of programs and policies and collaborated with leadership to identify improvement opportunities.

Ms. Lark holds a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University. She is a resident of Chatham.

“As Vice President for Emergency Services for RWJBarnabas Health I will be fully integrated with all service lines to gain a deep understanding of system processes, allowing for better collaboration for process improvements and the advancement of patient care within the emergency service line,” added Lark. “My goal is to maintain the high level of quality services currently provided by our emergency departments while seeking to continue optimal delivery of those services to the community.”

ABOUT RWJBARNABAS HEALTH

RWJBarnabas Health is the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, with a service area covering nine counties with five million people. The system includes eleven acute care hospitals – Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, Community Medical Center in Toms River, Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, RWJUH in New Brunswick, RWJUH Somerset in Somerville, RWJUH Hamilton, RWJUH Rahway and Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston; three acute care children’s hospitals and a leading pediatric rehabilitation hospital with a network of outpatient centers (Children’s Specialized Hospital) with its multiple outpatient centers, a freestanding 100-bed behavioral health center, two trauma centers, a satellite emergency department, ambulatory care centers, geriatric centers, the state’s largest behavioral health network, comprehensive home care and hospice programs, fitness and wellness centers, retail pharmacy services, a medical group, multi-site imaging centers and two accountable care organizations.

RWJBarnabas Health is New Jersey’s largest private employer – with more than 35,000 employees, 9,000 physicians and 1,000 residents and interns – and routinely captures national awards for outstanding quality and safety. RWJBarnabas Health recently announced a partnership with Rutgers University to create New Jersey’s largest academic health care system. The collaboration will align RWJBarnabas Health with Rutgers’ education, research and clinical activities, including those at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. RWJBarnabas Health, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey - the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - brings a world class team of researchers and specialists to fight alongside you, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials.