Capital Health, a leader in providing progressive, quality patient care in the central New Jersey region, recently earned national recognition from the Lown Institute as a standard-bearer of social responsibility across a range of metrics for health equity.
In the Lown Hospitals Index, a report by the Institute that evaluates more than 3,100 hospitals across the nation, Capital Health Regional Medical Center (RMC) in Trenton ranked first in New Jersey for racial inclusivity and received ‘A’ grades for community benefit and several other categories. Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell in Pennington, New Jersey received an ‘A’ grade and ranked in the top five in the state for patient safety, also earning ‘A’ grades for racial inclusivity and other areas.
“Capital Health’s commitment to providing high-quality, equitable care to the people of Trenton and neighboring communities goes back more than 130 years,” said Dr. Eric Schwartz, vice president of Community Health and Transformation and executive director of Capital Health Institute for Urban Care. “Having both of our hospitals receive honors from the Lown Institute validates the hard work of all our staff and reaffirms our tradition of health care excellence for residents in central New Jersey and surrounding areas.”
“Great care is only great if everyone can access it,” said Dr. Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute. “We need hospitals that are not only leaders in clinical care, but also strong community partners—and these socially responsible hospitals are showing the way.”
Rankings from the Lown Hospitals Index are based on several key metrics that measure social responsibility. Among those metrics, RMC received ‘A’ grades for social responsibility, racial inclusivity, health equity, community benefit, and inclusivity. The Trenton-based hospital also ranked number one in New Jersey and among the top 10 in the nation for racial inclusivity and is a top hospital for fair share spending due to its significant efforts to improve community health through free education programs, subsidized services, improvements to the social determinants of health, and more. Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell is among the top 5 hospitals in New Jersey for patient safety, receiving an ‘A’ grade in that category as well as inclusivity, cost efficiency, and racial inclusivity. Hopewell is also a top hospital for fair share spending.
The Lown Institute, founded in 1973 by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Bernard Lown (developer of the defibrillator and cardioverter) is an independent, nonpartisan organization that conducts research to help bridge the gap between existing public policy solutions and improved access to care for all Americans. The Lown Hospitals Index is the first ranking to assess the social responsibility of U.S. hospitals by applying unique measures such as racial inclusivity, avoidance of overuse (how well hospitals avoid unnecessary tests and procedures), and pay equity (how well hospital staff are paid compared to executives), among others. Data sources include Medicare claims, CMS patient safety data and hospital cost reports, among others.
Capital Health is the Central New Jersey/Lower Bucks County region’s leader in providing progressive, quality patient care with significant investments in physicians, nurses and staff, as well as advanced technology. Comprised of two state-of-the-art hospitals (Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton and Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell), outpatient facilities in Bordentown and Hamilton, New Jersey, satellite emergency departments in Trenton and on the campus of Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, New Jersey, and an extensive network of primary and specialty care practices across the region, Capital Health is a dynamic health care resource accredited by DNV. To learn more, visit capitalhealth.org.