Virtua Health https://www.virtua.org an integrated healthcare system and Rowan University, both in New Jersey, have announced a partnership to create a new academic health system.
An investment of $85 million from Virtua Health will create the Virtua Health College of Medicine & Health Sciences at Rowan University https://www.rowan.edu.
The college will include the state’s only osteopathic medical school, expanded nursing and allied health professions school, a new school of translational biomedical engineering and sciences, multiple new research institutes, and aligned clinical practices to improve patient care.
The partnership will bring clinicians and scientists together to elevate care delivery, medical innovation, and education with the three research institutes. The focus will be on cardiovascular disease, solid organ transplant, regenerative medicine, and primary care.
In another partnership, Virtua Health and Medtronic Labs plc, https://www.mdtlabs.org will launch a separate pilot collaboration with the Cherry Hill Free Clinic and Virtua to address care and food access for people with chronic conditions. The pilot to be funded by Medtronic will share plans to reimagine traditional healthcare models. They have announced a 5 year partnership to focus on improving the delivery of quality care to the residents of South Jersey.
The partnership has plans for several projects. One project called Heart Health will enable Medtronic https://www.medtronic.com and Virtua Health to develop a program to optimize care for hospital patients diagnosed with heart failure with the focus on slowing the progression of the disease. By employing Medtronic’s data driven, decision support tools, Virtua clinicians will provide ongoing resources post hospitalization.
The partnership will also optimize patient care in high value outpatient settings including ambulatory surgery centers. Additionally, Medtronic plc and Virtua will expand Virtua’s hospital at home program which is due to launch in early 2022.
Community health workers and clinicians at the Cherry Hill Free Clinic will use Medtronic LABS digital health platform which will extend their reach through mobile tools and point-of-care diagnostics
Medtronic LABS will also support Virtua’s Eat Well food access program by enabling Medtronic Labs and Virtua to connect those at risk for food insecurity and connect them to free food, nutrition education, and social work services.