1. Although the holiday season is supposed to bring joy and
harmony to all, the many expectations that lay behind the
seasonable events can cause us to feel overwhelmed. If
you’re in charge of hosting, entertaining, and preparing
holiday season events, the pressure soon mounts up. If the
holiday season has you tied up in various directions, toss
the guilt for not keeping up with all the far-fetched
expectations and start taking care of yourself to manage
that anxiety and find ways to enjoy the holiday season.
Maria Rivera, LPN, at our Neighborhood Health Center
suggested to plan ahead, set a realistic goal for yourself,
and perhaps the biggest tip is to ask help from friends and
family members to assist you in events. “The big thing is
that a lot people don’t like to ask for help, you’ve got to
get help. If you have family, friends, you have to rely on
each other,” Rivera added.
Now once the events start to unfold, it is important to
keep a good balance and be aware of your surroundings
including yourself. “Everyone’s going out to eat and
drink, and have a good time, but just have a little bit of
presence in mind when you do things,” Rivera said.
Just like in life, moderation is key. If you follow that, you
should have a smoother, more enjoyable holiday season.
The holiday season can bring many feelings—happiness, love, excitement, but it can also
bring about negative feelings including stress and anxiety. The holidays present an array of
demands because of parties, shopping, cooking, cleaning and entertaining, to name just a few.
But with some practical tips, one can minimize the stress that accompanies the holidays.
Dr. Giuliana Capone, Psy.D., Director of Behavioral Medicine at our Neighborhood Health
Center shed some light on the subject, “Planning ahead is something that can reduce
holiday stress.” Adding, “Be aware of how much you’re spending. Budget yourself so you
don’t overspend. When you overspend, you tend to really stress about it.” The same goes for
overeating. Dr. Capone advises it’s very important to try and maintain a healthy life balance,
especially during the holiday season. People often abandon their normal eating habits and
overindulge during this time of the year, because of all of the extra activities they may have.
For some, the holidays can be a depressing time. Feelings of sadness, loneliness, and anger
can intensify when contrasted with the joy expected of the holidays. Though not a medical
condition, it is commonly known as the ‘holiday blues’ and it can be defined differently,
depending on the person. It can be caused by being overwhelmed, reflecting on
disappointments over the past year, or coping with changes in family obligations, particularly
after a recent marriage or divorce, just to name a few. Dr. Capone suggests to reach out and
spend time with those who care about you, try new things, and be more active.
Sometimes, it’s okay to feel a little sad and to look within, as long as you surround yourself
with positive and realistic thoughts and keep yourself active. No matter what time of the year,
it’s always okay to ask for
Ask The Doctor: Holiday Blues & Managing Stress
Nurses Station: Moderating Anxiety
During the Holiday Season
Neighborhood Health Center
Programs
Family Practice
Womens Services
Ryan White Program
Residency Program
Maternal Fetal Medicine
Our Publication:
Ask the Doctor :
Holiday Blues & Managing Stress
Dr. Giuliana Capone, Psy.D.
1
Nurses Station:
Moderating Anxiety
Maria Rivera, LPN
1
Pioneer the Frontier
(Performance Improvement)
Maureen Cappiello, RN
2
Beware, ‘Tis the Season for House
Fire Dangers
Daniel Arroyo, Dir. of Engineering
2
CarePoint Health Trotting
Through Hudson County
2
December Calendar 2
December 2014
Volume 1 Issue 2
HUMC Neighborhood Health Center
122 Clinton Street Hoboken, NJ 07030
Phone: 201-418-3100
Fax: 201-418-3149
CarePoint HUMC Neighborhood Health Center 122 Clinton St. Hoboken, NJ 07030 P: 201.418.3100 F: 201.418.3149
www.carepointhealth.org/our-services/neighborhood-health-centers
Hoboken University Medical Center
308 Willow Avenue Hoboken, NJ 07030
Phone: 201-418-1000
Hours of Operation
M 8:30 am—5:00 pm
T 8:30 am—5:00 pm
W 8:30 am—7:00 pm
Th 8:30 am—7:00 pm
*(MFM) 8:30 am—9:30 pm
F 8:30 am—5:00 pm
Closed Saturdays and Sundays
* Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM)
Hoboken University Medical Center
Neighborhood Health Center Newsletter

2. Pioneer the Frontier as We Strive to Improve Our Performances
With the holidays here, it can be quite easy to have your mind preoccupied by being involved in many
activities and other holiday functions, but it’s still imperative to focus and continue to improve on our
overall performance here at CarePoint Health.
Maureen Cappiello, RN, Performance Improvement (PI) Manager for Core Measures at HUMC spoke
more on the topic. Simply put, Cappiello said, “The best way to describe PI is doing the best thing for
our patients.” PI is improving processes and outcomes at HUMC in order to provide quality care. It is
measuring where we, as a team are and figuring out different ways to make things better. Cappiello
added, “We’re looking to make sure if something we see isn't done correctly, we are going to improve
on it, and make it correct.”
This is especially true when The Joint Commission (TJC) comes around. When they visit, they survey
the staff on issues pertaining to patient rights, including, but no limited to: medication management,
infection control, and many diverse healthcare standards related to patient safety goals. Cappiello
stresses the fact that when TJC asks questions, to think carefully before you answer and if you don’t
know the answers, it is our responsibility to know where to look for the answers.
Cappiello added, “If we do the right thing for our patients, they leave the hospital, prevent them from
being readmitted and hopefully they turn around and say, ‘go to Hoboken because it’s one of the best
hospitals around’ and that is my goal.” Cappiello’s approach is in line with our mission at HUMC to
provide excellent and effective patient-centered care in a timely and compassionate manner.
Beware, ‘Tis the Season for House Fire Dangers
Of course, this is the time when many of us fill our homes with holiday decorations, but before
you break out your candles and holiday lights, be warned, decking the halls can be dangerous.
Daniel Arroyo, Director of Engineering at HUMC explained more in detail how to take safety
measures this holiday season. “Any decorations that you do decide to put up has to be fire
retardant. Any lighting have to be UL [Underwriters Laboratories] approved, these are things
you have to be concerned with,” Arroyo said. As for disposing Christmas trees, Arroyo
stresses the fact that they are displaced out on the sidewalk without obstructing the path of
pedestrians.
With winter settling in, residents will be using a variety of methods, such as space heaters, as a
supplemental heat source in their homes. Arroyo does not recommend any portable heating
appliances, but if one has heating issues at home and absolutely must use it, he suggests one
that gives off radiant heat that are oil-based as opposed to electric heating devices. In addition,
while using a space heater, never plug into an extension cord. Only straight to a wall outlet as
that is also a fire hazard. As you prepare your decorations and lighting, be mindful, warm, and
above all, safe.
Words in Motion
“I’ve learned that you can tell a lot
about a person by the way
(s)he handles these three things: a
rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled
Christmas tree lights.”
- Maya Angelou
December 2014
Issue 1 Volume 2
December 2014
Volume 1 Issue 2
HUMC Events Calendar
December 2014
Toys for Tots - 12/5
Adopt a Family
Helping Hand Closet
Holiday Gift Swap - 12/15
Employee Holiday Party - 12/11
Key Care Points
Budget Yourself
Healthy Life Balance
Patient Rights
Effective Patient-Centered Care
No Portable Heating Appliances
Fire Retardant Decorations
CarePoint Health giving to
Hudson County
Newsletter Committee
Editor in Chief - Maireni Gomez
Writer - Charles Frometa
Editor - William Harris
Publisher - Allyson Miller
Acknowledgments
Dr. Giuliana Capone, Psy.D.
Maria Rivera, LPN
Maureen Cappiello, RN
Daniel Arroyo, Dir. of Engineering
Dennis Kelly, CEO
CarePoint HUMC Neighborhood Health Center 122 Clinton St. Hoboken, NJ 07030 P: 201.418.3100 F: 201.418.3149
www.carepointhealth.org/our-services/neighborhood-health-centers
CarePoint Health Trotting through Hudson County
Over the Thanksgiving Holiday, many members of CarePoint Health volunteered their time
participating in charitable activities throughout Hudson County. CarePoint provided $65,000 in
Thanksgiving donations, which included food to take home to prepare, gift cards, and actual hot
meals. In addition, 1,500 turkeys were distributed in conjunction with the Jersey City Youth
Foundation. With help from the Jersey City Police Department, boxed meals were distributed
during the beginning of Thanksgiving week. On Thanksgiving Day, CarePoint hosted and
served food at the Hoboken Shelter. Dennis Kelly, CEO of CarePoint Health, thanked those
who volunteered, and for being apart of the team.
At our Center, we had a Thanksgiving Potluck luncheon where we wrote on post-its on a
message board what we are grateful for and our commitment to donate this holiday season.
Together, CarePoint Health believes in making a differences and helping out the community, as
a whole.
Words in Motion
“If you give a man a jingle, he will jingle for a day. But if you teach a man to jingle, he will jingle all the way.”
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
Hoboken University Medical Center
Neighborhood Health Center Newsletter
CarePoint Physicians Holiday Party