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Help Comes Quickly at the Ocean Care Center
When a new Jackson resident needed medical attention quickly, she found relief in the hands of a
skilled doctor at the Ocean Care Center.
Maritza Adams loves to read
motivational self-help books,
is very involved in her church,
and enjoys playing bocce ball at her
active adult community.
It was during an evening game of
bocce ball that Maritza started to experience
a nagging dry cough. She initially
assumed it was allergies but knew it was
something more serious the next morning.
She had a hard time getting out of bed,
and her breathing was very labored.
Finding a Local Doctor
Maritza and her husband, John, moved to
Jackson from north Jersey almost five years
ago. They hadn't established relationships
with local physicians, so Maritza contacted
her neighbor Sandra Fellen, R.N., for a
recommendation.
Fellen, who writes the health and prevention
articles for the community newsletter
and organizes its health fairs, suggested
a local physician. The physician diagnosed
Maritza with asthma. But when the prescribed
medication didn't help, the doctor
advised her to go to the hospital.
Maritza and her husband were concerned
about the potential wait time at a hospital
emergency department, so John contacted
Fellen for another recommendation.
"At a recent presentation on Ocean
Medical Center's health fairs, the Ocean
Care Center in Point Pleasant was mentioned,"
Fellen says. "It was fresh in my
mind and I had heard good things about it,
so I advised John to bring Maritza there."
How the Ocean Care Center Is Different
The Ocean Care Center is a satellite
emergency department of Ocean Medical Center located in Point Pleasant. It's open
around-the-clock and is staffed by emergency
department physicians. Last year, the
average turnaround time at the Ocean Care
Center was 70 minutes, which is well below
typical emergency department averages.
Upon arriving at the Ocean Care Center,
Maritza was suffering from shortness of
breath and high blood pressure, and she
was wheezing. "They took me right away,"
says Maritza. "I was very impressed with
the nurses and doctor."
Maritza had a complete workup done,
including blood work, an EKG, and a chest
X-ray. Bronislaw Partyka, M.D., an emergency
physician at Ocean Medical Center,
diagnosed her with asthma and slight
pneumonia. She was given oxygen, nebulizer
treatments, and IV medication.
Take Symptoms Seriously
"Asthma can be deadly," explains Dr.
Partyka. "If you are experiencing shortness
of breath and it does not improve after
using an inhaler, come to the emergency
department immediately."
After returning home and taking it
slow for a few weeks, Maritza is now
fully recovered. "I would recommend the
Ocean Care Center to anyone. Though
there were many people with many different
issues at the Care Center when I
arrived, the staff took the time to care for
each individual, calm every patient down,
and provide treatment."
Maritza is committed to taking some
time to establish some local physician relationships.
But that won't interfere with her
bocce ball game.
 – Anne Marie Keevins
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