Congratulations to seven Princeton Health units that will share approximately $50,000 in grants to initiate or continue programs that are intended to improve patient outcomes, support staff members, or advance organizational goals.
The funding is provided under the Princeton Medical Center (PMC) Foundation’s annual grant program, Princeton Health Innovations. Funding decisions are made by a grants committee consisting of Princeton Health board members, administrators, physicians, and community members.
This year’s grantees and projects are:
Pharmacy Department
Patients with high-risk opioid use disorders will receive free naloxone, a prescription medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, upon discharge from the Emergency Department. Those patients will receive a kit that contains intranasal naloxone, educational materials, usage instructions, and prescription labels with dosing information.
Acute Rehabilitation
This grant will help fund equipment and staff training for a new virtual reality-based system that will enable patients recovering from strokes to practice activities of daily living – or ADLs – and help ensure they can be safely discharged to home. The system is designed to present users with cognitive and physical challenges related to everyday tasks.
Department of Sustainability
The department plans to hire a technician to coordinate Princeton Health’s efforts to repurpose food waste, recycle plastic and sterilization wrap, and reuse or recycle wood pallets. Removing these items from Princeton Health’s waste stream could result in significant cost savings. Local markets exist for these materials. For example, a facility in the Trenton, N.J. area converts food waste into biofuel.
Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation
This grant will fund the purchase and installation of smart TVs and computers in the department’s exercise room, as well as a subscription to a streaming service that provides education on a variety of crucial health topics. The equipment will allow patients to view educational slide shows and videos while riding a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill, helping to reinforce patient education.
Human Resources
Project Thrive will fund the cost of food and a driver for a mobile farmers’ market, which will alternate between Princeton Medical Center and the Princeton House Behavioral Health inpatient campus. The market is open to all employees regardless of position or income level. In addition, the initiative includes a partnership with Food & Nutrition called the Dinner for Four program, which enables staff to purchase discounted meals to take home.
Department of Nursing Education
Grant funds will cover the cost of video and audio equipment, video editing software, and training for the staff members who will use the software. The purchases will enable educators to create high-quality video tutorials that are easily and instantly accessible to clinical staff members and, when necessary, patients or their caregivers.
Princeton House Behavioral Health
This grant continues Wellness Wardrobe, an initiative that was also funded in 2021 to provide essential clothing, undergarments, footwear, and accessories for inpatients in need. Patients who feel better about themselves are more receptive to therapy. The program is intended to help patients focus on their mental, emotional, and behavioral needs.