Game Changing Partnerships
We would be naïve in thinking we can transform health care alone. By working alongside some of the nation’s leading experts, we are all poised to better care for the growing population. Hackensack Meridian Health is committed to building strong partnerships and working together for a healthier state. Significant strides have been made, and the emphasis on collaboration only continues to grow.

A Partnership Built to Break Through
The Memorial Sloan Kettering–Hackensack Meridian Health partnership brings together unparalleled cancer care experts to find more cures faster while ensuring access to the highest-quality, personalized cancer care when and where people need it.
With deep local roots, Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health treat one in five New Jersey residents who are diagnosed with cancer. By working together to develop standard protocols across all of our sites in the state, we share an unrivaled ability to accelerate discoveries, advance the continuum of cancer care and create new hope for patients in New Jersey and beyond.
Cancer Science Today is a new series of educational events made possible through our partnership, and features interactive community talks from leading oncology experts. Guests are given the opportunity to ask questions and learn about exciting new advances and breakthroughs in cancer care including topics such as genetics, precision medicine and immuno-oncology. These events are just one way Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health are working together to provide new resources for individuals and families who are impacted by cancer
Technology Providing Unparalleled Insights
In October, IBM Watson Health, Cota, and Hackensack Meridian Health collaborated to pilot a combination of IBM Watson and Cota technology for the first time – bringing Cota’s value based care and real-world data into IBM’s Watson for Oncology clinical decision support tool.
Watson for Oncology was used by oncologists to help identify and rank treatment options, providing links to supporting evidence, empowering oncologists with unparalleled insights as they consider the right course for their patient. Cota derived abstracted and benchmark data and embedded patient classification into Watson for Oncology to analyze meaning and context from clinical notes, reports and key patient information within the context of treatment planning.


Unique Community Partnerships
Hackensack Meridian Heath remains committed to improving the health of not only its patients – but of its entire community – and is proud of its many sports and organizational partnerships which include: the New York Giants, the New York Red Bulls, the Northern Trust PGA, the New Jersey Devils, Brooklyn Nets, and key Madison Square Garden properties including the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, the Garden of Dreams, and Radio City Music Hall.
During the summer of 2017, Hackensack Meridian Health also kicked off a new sponsorship of the PNC Bank Arts Center’s Summer Concert Series. Voted the Top 5 theaters in America, the PNC Bank Arts Amphitheatre seats 17,500 guests as well as grass areas that allow for an additional 10,500 people. This partnership helped us connect with thousands of community members during the summer months.
In September, Hackensack Meridian Health also announced the launch of a new partnership with radio giant Cumulus Media in the heart of Manhattan to create the Hackensack Meridian Health Stage 17 Performance Studio, a new venue to promote the network’s highly ranked care as well as creating a site for expert health panels, charity events and other network activities. We also unveiled Life Years Ahead Radio, a station specially curated by Pandora, which features pop, rock and country hits by recording artists as well as emerging artists such as Nicole Atkins and Maren Morris.
A Promising Future
In 2016, half of the increase in emergency room visits in New Jersey were related to patients’ behavioral health issues. The state is facing an opioid epidemic that claimed more than 2,200 lives in 2016, a record high and 40 percent increase from the previous year. By exploring a partnership with Carrier Clinic, a leader in behavioral health with a 100-year history in the state, we are continuing our commitment to fully integrate behavioral health into our network for the benefit of our patients.
Hackensack Meridian Health and the Carrier Clinic, a leader in behavioral health with a 100-year history in the state recently announced they are exploring a partnership to deliver unsurpassed behavioral health care to the region.
The letter of intent signed in March starts the process to create a seamless system featuring 24-hour access to care ranging from outpatient, to urgent care, residential and inpatient care for mental health and addiction needs for adolescents and adults. A multi-disciplinary team of experts including primary care physicians, psychiatrists, and advanced practice nurses would closely coordinate all needs – addiction treatment, routine care, mental health issues – to provide optimal treatment. This plan will create exceptional, comprehensive care at a time of great need for expanded, enhanced, and innovative behavioral health services.
Carrier Clinic’s home in Belle Mead is a 100-acre rural campus which provides short-term, acute care hospitalization for psychiatric illness and substance abuse for adolescents 12-18, and treatment for adults 18 and older. Carrier Clinic’s campus includes a licensed 281-bed capacity hospital; the Blake Recovery Center, a licensed 40-bed inpatient and outpatient detox and recovery facility; East Mountain Youth Lodge, which can house up to 91 residents ages 13-18;and East Mountain School, a fully-accredited school for 120 7th-12th graders affected by behavioral and psychiatric disorders. Carrier Clinic has nearly 1,000 employees, including 26 members of the medical staff.
