March 22, 2019, Morristown, NJ – Trish O'Keefe, PhD, RN, President of Atlantic Health System’s Morristown Medical Center and Vice President, Atlantic Health System, has been recognized with The Distinguished Alumni Award by her alma mater, DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, New Jersey.
The Distinguished Alumni Award is given to those who have used their DePaul education as a springboard to professional success.
“I have carried the lessons learned while I was a student at DePaul—both in and out of the classrooms—throughout my professional career,” O’Keefe said. “My teachers reinforced the importance of hard work, dedication, staying true to my core beliefs, and showed me the strength that comes from a strong and connected community. I am humbled and grateful to receive this award.”
Under O'Keefe's leadership, Morristown Medical Center was the only hospital in New Jersey named one of 'America’s ‘50 Best Hospitals’ for three consecutive years by Healthgrades, rated the number one hospital in the state by U.S. News & World Report and Castle Connolly and named to Becker's Healthcare 2018 list of "100 great hospitals in America.” Leapfrog recognized the medical center with an “A” hospital safety grade—its highest—seven consecutive times, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid recognized the medical center with its highest five-star rating again in 2019.
Morristown Medical Center is nationally recognized in cardiology, orthopedics, nursing, and gastroenterology—a testament to the quality O’Keefe expects. She was instrumental in the medical center’s prestigious designation as an American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Hospital for Nursing Excellence five consecutive times-one of less than one percent of hospitals nationally to achieve this honor.
She is executively responsible for Atlantic Health System’s Cardiology, Orthopedic, Women’s Health, Pediatric, and Oncology service lines.
O'Keefe is a noted presenter on national and regional stages on topics such as redesigning healthcare, empowerment and shared governance models, achieving Magnet status, resiliency in leadership, transitions in health care, nursing's role in the Accountable Care Organization (ACO), geriatric care and medication management, care for the caregiver, and recruitment and retention.
She has been recognized at the United Nations as one of 21 Nurses with Global Impact, by Irish America magazine to its Healthcare and Life Sciences 50 list, by the American Cancer Society as a Hero of Hope, by NJ Biz as a 2018 Vanguard Series Leader in Health Care, by Seton Hall University with the Margaret C. Haley Award for making a significant contribution to healthcare, by the Morris County Chamber of Commerce as a “Woman Who Shines,” received the UMDNJ Dean's Award for Advancing the Profession of Nursing, and the ONE/NJ Nurse Executive of the Year Award and Professional Recognition Award. She is also the recipient of the Mary A. Mulholland Service Award from the Boy Scouts of America and was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award from DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, NJ.
O'Keefe currently serves as Chair, Morris County Chamber of Commerce, is a member of Seton Hall University President’s Advisory Board, and the NJ Sharing Network. She also is a member of the Morris County Strategic Planning Committee. She has served on the Board of Directors for Organization of Nurse Executives in New Jersey (ONE/NJ) for 10 years and recently served as the Advisory Board Chair for the Salvation Army of Morris County, and College of Saint Elizabeth in Madison, New Jersey.
She is a member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE), the New Jersey Organization of Nurse Executives (ONE/NJ), and Sigma Theta Tau International, the Honor Society of Nursing. O'Keefe is a certified nurse administrator by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Wilkes College in Wilkes-Barre, PA, her Master of Science Degree in Nursing Administration, and received her PhD from Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ.
About Atlantic Health System
Atlantic Health System is at the forefront of medicine, setting standards for quality health care in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New York metropolitan area. Powered by a workforce of more than 16,800 team members and 4,800 affiliated physicians dedicated to building healthier communities, Atlantic Health System serves more than half of the state of New Jersey including 11 counties and 4.9 million people. The system offers more than 400 sites of care, including six hospitals: Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ, Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ, Newton Medical Center in Newton NJ, Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ, Hackettstown Medical Center in Hackettstown, NJ and Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ.
In addition to the employed workforce, Atlantic Alliance, a Clinically Integrated Network represents more than 2,500 health care providers throughout northern and central NJ. This network includes 1,000 physicians and providers comprising one of the largest multi-specialty practices in New Jersey - Atlantic Medical Group, as well as members of the Atlantic Accountable Care Organization and Optimus Healthcare Partners which work to enhance patient care delivery.
Atlantic Health System provides care for the full continuum of health care needs including 12 urgent care centers, Atlantic Rehabilitation and Atlantic Home Care and Hospice. Facilitating the connection between these services on both land and air is the transportation fleet of Atlantic Mobile Health.
Atlantic Health System leads the Healthcare Transformation Consortium, a partnership of seven regional hospitals and health systems dedicated to improving access and affordability and is a founding member of the PIER Consortium – Partners in Innovation, Education, and Research – a streamlined clinical trial system that will expand access to groundbreaking research across seven health systems in New Jersey.
Atlantic Health System has a medical school affiliation with Thomas Jefferson University and is home to the regional campus of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Morristown and Overlook Medical Centers and is the official health care partner of the New York Jets.