Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital To Provide Pediatric Patients Access to Trials for the Treatment of Cancer at Jersey Shore University Medical Center

Gains Affiliate Status in the Prestigious Children’s Oncology Group (COG). Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital Has Been a COG Member Since 2000

K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center has been granted Affiliate status to the prestigious Children’s Oncology Group (COG). This status will give K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital patients and their families access to the latest clinical trials available to treat pediatric cancers. K. Hovnanian joins Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital - the other hospital in the Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health network - as provider of the latest, cutting-edge treatment for pediatric cancer throughout New Jersey. Joseph M. Sanzari has been a COG member for more than 20 years.

From north to south, Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health is at the forefront of the research being performed to treat and cure pediatric cancers. The network is leading the charge with more than 100 active oncology clinical trials. The network is also home to the only neuro-oncology lab in the state.

K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital is among the first hospitals in the United States to be granted Affiliate status, a new designation offered by COG to allow for a second tier of member institutions. The more than 200 children’s cancer centers nationwide that comprise the Children’s Oncology Group have met the quality assurance standards established by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

“This is a game-changer for our patients in terms of access to the latest therapies,” said Jessica Scerbo, M.D., section chief, Pediatric Hematology Oncology, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital. “For a child and family who are going through the heartache of a cancer diagnosis and treatment, having treatment close to home is helpful.”

“This membership means that our patients will now have access to the greatest body of research and clinical studies performed in the world on pediatric cancer care from this hospital,” Harpreet Pall, MD, MBA, CPE, chair of Pediatrics at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital and at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.

“The process for becoming an affiliate is rigorous, and we are so pleased to have achieved this status for the good of the children who are cared for by our pediatric cancer specialists at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital, “ said Judy Aschner, M.D. physician-in-chief, Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health.

It is estimated that more than 90% of the 16,000 children diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States are cared for at COG member institutions. The Children’s Oncology Group partners with research scientists from around the world in the effort to understand the causes of cancer and find more effective treatments.The Children’s Oncology Group and its predecessor organizations have had a pivotal role in transforming childhood cancer from a virtually incurable disease 50 years ago to one with a combined five-year survival rate of 80 percent today. The collaboration with COG connects patients to the latest clinical trials and upwards of 10,000 pediatric oncology experts here in New Jersey and around the world who work with COG to develop effective new treatments for children with cancer.

“This COG affiliate status is not only recognition of the great work being done by our pediatric cancer specialists, but also of first-class care being provided to our youngest patients,” said Vito Buccellato, MPA, LNHA, president and chief hospital executive, Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

“It means that the children of the many families we serve will be able to have access to the care that results from the labor of many thousands of pediatric cancer specialists all over the world right from the hospital located in their community,” said Kenneth N. Sable, M.D., MBA, FACEP, regional president, Southern Market, Hackensack Meridian Health. “We are proud to be a part of the transformative mission of the Children’s Oncology Group.”