St. Joseph’s Healthcare and Rehab Center Celebrates Centenarians

St. Joseph’s Healthcare and Rehab Center recently hosted a birthday celebration for two centenarians who currently live at the facility.  This annual event recognizes the birthdays of any resident who is 100 years old or older.

Honorees this year included Sr. Emily Walsh, who turned 101 on July 7^th and Josephine Ricci who turned 104 on July 22nd.

Sr. Emily Walsh, entered the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth in 1938 and spent the majority of her career at Holy Trinity Parish in Hackensack before retiring in 2015.

“Sr. Emily has spent the majority of her retirement years providing care to the poor and homeless population in Hackensack and the surrounding areas,” said Sr. Patricia Mennor, Vice President of Mission at St. Joseph’s Health. “Up until her retirement at the age of 94, she remained incredibly active in her local parish and dedicated to helping anyone in need.”

Josephine Ricci, who recently celebrated her 104^th birthday was born in Sicily, but moved to America as a child. She grew up in Newark before moving to Cedar Grove where she raised three children.

For this event, residents enjoyed a live musician, a caricature artist and refreshments. 

ABOUT ST. JOSEPH’S HEALTH

Founded in 1867 by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, St. Joseph’s Health is a world-class hospital and healthcare network supported by more than 5,000 leading and renowned physicians, nurses and care teams. From its humble beginnings, St. Joseph’s Health has become one of the premier health systems in the state, serving more than 1.5 million patients annually. The organization continues to evolve as the leading health resource in the community, the largest employer in Passaic County, and one of the largest providers of charity care in New Jersey.

The St. Joseph’s Health system is one of the leading clinical teaching and academic centers in the country, and has been recognized for its innovative programs and cutting-edge services. The health system operates a full continuum of care, including a regional tertiary care medical center (St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, Paterson), an acute care medical center (St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center, Wayne) a state-designated children’s hospital (St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, Paterson), a rehabilitation and long-term care facility (St. Joseph’s Healthcare & Rehab Center, Cedar Grove), an outpatient facility (St. Joseph’s Totowa Health Campus, Totowa) comprehensive home care (Visiting Health Services of New Jersey), and multiple ambulatory care centers located throughout Northern New Jersey. The system is further supported by St. Joseph’s Health Medical Group, which operates more than 100 physician medical and specialty practices across northern New Jersey.

Among its awarding-winning specialties, St. Joseph’s is home to the nationally acclaimed Alternatives to Opioids (ALTO®) program; the first accredited Geriatric Emergency Department in New Jersey; a five-time recipient of the prestigious Magnet® Award for Nursing Excellence (the profession’s highest honor - an accomplishment reached by only 15 hospitals nationwide); and recognized by US News & World Report with a Top Nursing Home award and a five-star rating.

In September 2019, St. Joseph’s Health established a strategic and clinical partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health, one of New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive and integrated health networks. Together, the two health systems operate a jointly-owned home health and hospice agency, serving patients and families across Bergen, Passaic and Morris Counties. In addition, St. Joseph’s and Hackensack Meridian have collaborated on clinical affiliations in acute rehabilitation (with the HMH JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute) and comprehensive oncology care (with the HMH John Theurer Cancer Center).  For more information, please visitwww.stjosephshealth.org.