Sep 1, 2021 Oncology Patient Navigator Joins Clara Maass Medical Center and Newark Beth Israel Medical Center

New position will increase early detection and awareness of breast cancer in our communities to address health disparities

Loretta MurielWest Orange, NJ, – With a continued focus on providing patient-centered care and serving our communities, Clara Maass Medical Center (CMMC) and Newark Beth Israel (NBI) Medical Center, recently welcomed Loretta Muriel as an Oncology Patient Navigator. In this new position which has been made possible by grant funding from Susan G. Komen®, Ms. Muriel will serve as a non-clinical community patient navigator and act as a breast health resource providing education for uninsured and underinsured African American and Hispanic women living in Essex County.

According to the Susan G. Komen® organization, black and brown women are 406 times more likely to die of breast cancer than white women. Black women have a lower 5-year breast cancer survival rate compared to white women and are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age, at later stages and with more aggressive types of breast cancer than white women. These disparities are not only issues of health, but of racial, ethnic and social injustices that contribute to unequal access to affordable, high-quality health care, and more.

“Loretta’s background in care coordination will extend our ability to reach and help those in our communities beyond our hospital walls. She will play a key role in helping to decrease barriers to screening and prevention, diagnostic care and treatment services to help us provide better quality care to African American and Hispanic women in Essex County,” said Mary Ellen Clyne, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Clara Maass Medical Center.

“We are committed to addressing the racial and social inequities that impact the health and well-being of our diverse communities,” said Darrell K. Terry, Sr., President and Chief Executive Officer of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey. “By increasing access to much needed screenings, treatments and overall cancer care, Loretta will be an invaluable resource for our patients and their families.”
“This new role is critical for our region and our health system as we ensure that all members of our community have access to appropriate cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention options, stated Cookie Frempong-Ntiri, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Vice President of Oncology Services- Northern Region RWJBarnabas Health. “Together with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, patients at our facilities are provided with the most advanced care options available.”

Ms. Muriel will also be responsible for coordinating educational workshops and outreach to residents in faith-based venues, community centers, beauty parlors, and public housing. She will assist uninsured or underinsured patients with scheduling appointments, accommodating transportation needs, and other oncology support services to reduce barriers to care.

Ms. Muriel was previously a Managed Care Coordinator – Behavioral Health for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield and an Assistant Credentialing/Risk Manager Coordinator for Azura Vascular Care. She currently holds executive board member roles with the Center for Family Services in Camden, N.J. and the Family Intervention Services board in East Orange, N.J. She earned an Associate of Arts (AA) in Business Administration and has a pending license to become an International Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ICADC).

About Clara Maass Medical Center

Founded in 1869 as the Newark German Hospital, Clara Maass Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is celebrating 150 years of service to the community. Conveniently located in Belleville, NJ, Clara Maass Medical Center is a 472-bed hospital that offers a complete continuum of care to residents of northern New Jersey.

Clara Maass Medical Center has completed a state-of-the-art campus expansion of its Emergency Department, Operating Rooms and Post Anesthesia Care Unit with the addition of a four-story, 87,000 square foot medical office building that features a private Intensive Care Unit, main entrance and lobby, retail pharmacy and patient registration area. Designated by the New Jersey Department of Health as a Primary Stroke Center, the Medical Center has earned national recognition in patient safety and quality from Healthgrades and The Leapfrog Group.

The Medical Center leads the state in performing advanced treatment in ophthalmology and has earned certifications in Disease-Specific Care from The Joint Commission in Acute Coronary Syndrome, Congestive Heart Failure, Hip and Knee Replacement, Cardiac Rehabilitation and Advanced Certification in Palliative Care, and has earned accreditation in Bariatric Surgery by the Aetna Institute of Quality program. In partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey – the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Clara Maass Medical Center offers a world class team of researchers and specialists to fight most types of cancer, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials. Committed to the health and wellness of its community, the Center of Excellence for Latino Health at Clara Maass Medical Center was established to address the social determinants of health within the local Hispanic community.

The first in the country to be named for a nurse, the hospitals’ namesake, Clara Louise Maass was posthumously inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame Class of 2017.

About Newark Beth Israel Medical Center

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is a 665-bed regional care teaching hospital that provides comprehensive health care. Newark Beth Israel is a Top Teaching Hospital and home to one of the nation’s top ten heart transplant centers, which has performed more than 1,000 heart transplants; RWJBarnabas Health’s Heart Failure Treatment and Transplant Program; New Jersey’s only Advanced Lung Disease and Transplant Program and a Valve Center that performs complex cardiac valve procedures, including minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs). Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is also home to Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ), which cares for children from birth through adolescence, with more than 30 specialized pediatric services including New Jersey’s largest Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders; and the Children’s Heart Center that offers a complete range of medical and surgical treatments for the most complex cardiac abnormalities. The Newark Beth Israel robotic surgery program is the most experienced in northern New Jersey. RWJBarnabas Health and The Frederick B. Cohen, MD, Comprehensive Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey Breast Health Center, 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. Newark Beth Israel also offers many preventive health programs that promote wellness in the community, including The Beth Greenhouse, which provides access to fresh produce and health and wellness education to local residents.

Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ), located at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, cares for children from birth through adolescence, with more than 30 specialized pediatric services including New Jersey’s largest Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders; and the Children’s Heart Center that offers a complete range of medical and surgical treatments for the most complex cardiac abnormalities. Children’s Hospital of New Jersey also includes a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and a Level IV Regional Perinatal Center that offers New Jersey’s only Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) therapy; and the highest level of intensive care for both mothers and newborns.

Contact:
Stacie Newton
Office: (973) 450-2989
Cell: (201) 424-9678
Stacie.Newton@rwjbh.org

Contact:
Linda Kamateh
Office: (973) 926-3803
Cell: 862-212-2013
Linda.kamateh@rwjbh.org