Bergen New Bridge Medical Center was honored by America’s Essential Hospitals with a 2025 Gage Award honorable mention for operational excellence at its Center for Comprehensive Addiction Treatment. The award was presented to medical center staff at a luncheon during the annual VITAL conference in Atlanta held from June 11-13.
“Our ‘no wrong door’ approach ensures individualized full service comprehensive treatment is provided in a caring, stigma free environment,” said Deborah Visconi, president and chief executive officer, Bergen New Bridge Medical Center. “The Gage Award is a testament to the extraordinary work our substance-use disorder and recovery teams do every day in saving lives and improving outcomes.”
The Center for Comprehensive Addiction Treatment aims to expand access to withdrawal- management services and substance-abuse disorder treatment by offering involuntary and voluntary crisis units, withdrawal management, and short-term residential care. In 2024, the program served 3,938 individuals with inpatient care and provided 17,613 units of intensive outpatient care. Rates of treatment refusal after discharge declined to 12% in 2024 from 21% in 2022. The rate of those leaving against medical advice also fell to 8.6% in 2024 from 13.59% in 2022.
The Gage Awards, named after association founder Larry Gage, honor and share successful and creative member hospital programs that improve patient care and meet community needs. The Gage Award for operational excellence recognizes activities that have successfully enhanced patient care quality, improved patient and staff experiences, and reduced harmful events through evidence-based strategies.
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, a clinical affiliate of Rutgers, is a 1,070-bed hospital located at 230 East Ridgewood Ave. in Paramus. The medical center is both the largest hospital and licensed nursing home in New Jersey.
