SALEM — Salem Medical Center and Inspira Health have signed a definitive agreement whereby SMC will join the Inspira Health Network. The transaction is expected to be completed following review and approval by the New Jersey Attorney General in 2022.
“This is a historic moment,” said SMC Board of Trustees Chairman William J. Colgan. “Our decision to become part of Inspira and its growing health network in South Jersey will ensure high quality health care for Salem for many years to come.”
The SMC Board of Trustees voted unanimously to become part of Inspira. The new name of the hospital will be Inspira Medical Center – Salem.
“Joining forces with Inspira will mean so much to our hospital – to our physicians, to our staff, to our community,” said Chief Executive Officer Tammy Torres. “Our partnership will allow us to continue to serve the community by providing the latest in medical and communication innovation. This is an important – and exciting – moment for our hospital and for Salem County.”
With more than 100 years of service to the Salem County area, Salem Medical Center has been and continues to be a major resource for health expertise in this region, and for some residents unable to travel out of the county, it remains the only resource.
In February 2019, SMC transitioned to new ownership and returned to not-for-profit status. SMC is guided by a volunteer board, comprised of many local members.
The community relies on many SMC services, including a new 26-bed Inpatient Psychiatric Unit and related behavioral health services. SMC made a major commitment to wound care by renovating and relocating the wound care center to the front of the building, ensuring easy access for patients, with plans to bring in hyperbaric chambers.
SMC’s fully digital imaging suite offers an array of radiology services, including 3D Mammography, MRI, CT, PET and DEXA scans, Nuclear Medicine, Ultrasound and X-Rays. In addition to in-house laboratory services, SMC provides Bariatric Surgery, Neurosurgery, General Surgery, Interventional Radiology, 24-7 Emergency Services, plus ICU and Medical-Surgical beds. Cardiac rehab as well as oncology, cardiac and pulmonary services are also readily available.
Salem Medical Center is focused on making the services that they provide, both hospital-based and outpatient programs, reflective of the evolving needs of the population they serve. Joining a larger health care will enable them to expand services to Salem County to include Women’s services, expanded Primary Care Practices and physician specialists, comprehensive Oncology, such as Radiation Treatments, and Cardiology Services, such as catheterization and other heart-related procedures and surgeries, Urgent Care, and access to affiliations with larger university hospitals.
An added benefit to help offset the COVID-19 pandemic would be access to additional intensive care beds, additional staff and other resources to lessen the already overburdened resources of local health care providers.
