Hackensack Meridian Health Raritan Bay Medical Center Recognizes Antonio Paone For 30 Year Milestone 

Raritan Bay Medical Center Perth Amboy’s Antonio Paone

PERTH AMBOY, NJ – September 26, 2019 – Hackensack Meridian Health Raritan Bay Medical Center recognizes Antonio Paone for hitting his 30 year milestone with the organization. Antonio started as a housekeeper and worked his way up to manager of respiratory therapy.

“I was born in this building in 1972, and as a boy I used to walk by here with my friends, on our way to play baseball. I’d look up and think, ‘Wow, that’s a big building,” said Antonio.

Antonio started as an 18-year-old graduate of Perth Amboy High School, mopping floors and cleaning bathrooms. While he was there, he caught the eye of a superior who wasn’t in his department. About 11 months into his first job, Antonio was approached by the director of respiratory therapy.

“He asked if I had applied for an opening as a respiratory therapy technician,” Antonio recalls. “Back then you didn’t need additional schooling or licensing, just additional training. So I asked him if I could take 24 hours to think about it.”

Over the years, Antonio took and passed board exams for respiratory therapy in the neonatal, pulmonary testing and adult critical care disciplines. In 2016, he went back online to Independence University and earned a bachelor’s of science with a focus on management. The young man who once mopped floors now trains medical and health care personnel in a respiratory care.

In 2016, Antonio received the hospital’s Bob Hoyt Award, given annually to the Raritan Bay team member who most exemplifies compassion in patient care. On June 2, 2018, Antonio received another acknowledgement of his work when he was promoted to manager. It was a dream come true. Throughout his journey, his wife Yesenia has encouraged him along his paths and his three children.

“Raritan Bay Medical Center has always felt like a family to me, said Antonio. “As one of the leading hospitals in the area, I am proud to be making a difference for the past thirty years, and beyond.”

For more information about the Raritan Bay Medical Center Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program, please visit:https://www.rbmc.org/pulmonary-rehabilitation/

About Hackensack Meridian Health Raritan Bay Medical Center

For more than 100 years, Hackensack Meridian Health Raritan Bay Medical Center-Perth Amboy and Raritan Bay Medical Center-Old Bridge have provided a full continuum of health care services to residents of Central Jersey. Raritan Bay Medical Center is one of less than one percent of hospitals in the world to achieve Magnet Recognition, the “Gold Standard” for nursing practice, quality, and safety in patient care, four times. In 2019, U.S. News & World Report ranked Raritan Bay Medical Center as high performing in Orthopedics, Nephrology, COPD and Heart Failure.

The medical center is a New Jersey state designated Primary Stroke Center and recipient of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, recognizing optimal treatment of stroke patients. Raritan Bay is also a recipient of the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval and the AHA’s Heart Check Mark for Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers and the AHA’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award recognizing high-quality care of patients experiencing a severe heart attack.

The Joslin Diabetes Center, Affiliate at Raritan Bay-Old Bridge, provides the latest advances for treating diabetes and its complications as well as other metabolic and endocrine disorders. Among its flagship programs are the Human Motion Institute, a comprehensive orthopedic program, and Institute for Weight Loss at Raritan Bay-Old Bridge and Center for Bariatric Surgery at Raritan Bay-Perth Amboy, both specializing in weight loss surgery. As part of Hackensack Meridian Health, one of New Jersey’s most comprehensive health networks, patients have access to advanced specialized services with a seamless continuum of care, close to home.

For more information, visit www.rbmc.org. To make an appointment for an outpatient test or treatment, call 732-324-5270. For a free physician referral, call 1-800-560-9990.