Business Briefs

The Lakewood Chamber of Com-merce and Insurance Administrator of America will present "Reducing Health-care Costs by Thinking Outside the Box," June 7 at The Vanity Fare, 1600 Route 70 east, Lakewood. Guest speaker Paul P. Kelly, president and chief executive officer of Insurance Administrator of America Inc., Cherry Hill, will review some new ideas to help employers reduce their health insurance cost by 30 percent. Networking will begin at 11:30 a.m. with lunch at noon. The cost is $30 for chamber members and $35 for non-members. A $5 charge will be added for walk-ins. Details: (732) 363-0012.

Specialty Hospital at Kimball, Ocean County's first hospital-within-a-hospital facility for extended care, recently observed its one-year anniversary with an open house celebration. AcuteCare Health System (ACHS) hosted the event at Specialy Hospital at Kimball, located within Kimball Medical Center, Lakewood, where tours were given of the 25-bed facility - a state-licensed, long-term acute care hospital (LTACH) that provides an intensive level of care to patients with complex medical conditions.

Lakewood-based ACHS also operates Specialty Hospital at Monmouth, located within Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch.

Since opening last spring, Specialty Hospital at Kimball had admitted 165 critically ill patients, according to Hilary Michaels, executive director. In addition to patients from New Jersey, the hospital has treated patients from Pennsylvania, New York and as far away as Cape Cod, Mass.

The open house also featured a memorial dedication of the hospital's family room to the late Arlene Rothenberg, a former patient whose family and friends have made donations in her honor to Specialty Hospitals of New Jersey Foundation Inc. An affiliate of ACHS, the foundation provides charitable, educational and scientific support to specialty hospitals.

Both specialty hospitals are designed to offer long-term acute care to patients who require an extended hospital stay of 25 days or more, and have one or more diagnoses that may include cardiovascular or cardiopulmonary disease, cancer, stroke, respiratory or kidney disorders, as well as complex health problems that require advanced wound care.

According to a press release, in recent years, LTACHs have been emerging as an effective option to fill the widening gap between two levels of care - short-term acute care hospitals, where the average length of stay is seven days, and other discharge placing options including subacute care nursing facilities, which may lack the services needed to adequately care for patients with medically complex conditions.

Checkers has joined forces with Operation Gratitude and America Sup-ports You for the Patriotic Drive, an initiative to send care packages to U.S. troops deployed overseas. Gifts for the troops can be donated at Checkers restaurants. The items collected will be used by Operation Gratitude to prepare and deliver care packages to service members overseas in time for the Fourth of July. Donations can be made at Checkers of Howell, 1992 Route 9 south at West Farms Road, now through June 14.

Business news items may be faxed to the Tri-Town News at (732) 780-4192 or mailed to P.O. Box 5001, Freehold 07728.