Having a loved one in the ICU can be stressful. Support staff is not only here to help our patients, but they are also a resource for families. Your bedside nurse can assist in connecting you with the below team members. If you are interested in speaking with a palliative care team member, please discuss with a physician.
Find out more about what you need to know about leaving the ICU >
Support Staff
Patient and family support specialists: Provide supportive counseling and resources to ICU patients and their families including coping with illness, caregiver support and guidance on how to support children and teens when a relative is in the ICU. We can also assist with communication needs and navigating challenges related to your loved one’s time in the ICU.
Resources and information about ICU Recovery/Post Intensive Care Syndrome or grief and bereavement are also available through our patient and family support specialists.
Spiritual Care Staff: Chaplains of several faiths are available for spiritual support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for patients and families. Learn more >
Bioethics: An ethics team member provides an opportunity for caring, thoughtful conversation. They assist patients and families with common concerns such as weighing the benefits vs. burdens of different care options, decision-making and can help should there be differences in goals of care.
Palliative Care: Palliative care is a supportive care service for patients and families and can be helpful during any stage of serious illness from initial diagnosis to issues surrounding end of life. Palliative care can be utilized during treatment and is different from hospice care. Learn more >
Social Work Staff: Social workers help patients and families cope with the impact of illness and hospitalization. If your post-hospital care needs include a stay at a facility, such as a rehabilitation center, then the social work staff will coordinate your discharge plan. They often begin organizing this plan during the ICU.
If you need more time in the hospital after the ICU then the social work staff member on the next unit will continue assisting with your post hospital needs. They also assist with practical help and advocacy in locating appropriate resources, referrals and community services.
Care Manager: The care manager is a registered nurse who works closely with your physician and all members of your health care team to coordinate medically necessary home care services for patients requiring this service upon discharge. If you need more time in the hospital after the ICU, then the care manager staff member on the next unit will continue assisting with your post hospital care needs.
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Disability and Family Leave
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Forms for disability or family leave can be given to the Social Worker or faxed to the ICU, attention: Social Work.
SICU Fax Number: 973-290-7266
MICU Fax Number: 973-734-4273
The forms must be completed by a doctor and take at least seven days for completion. If you submitted a claim online, you must provide the “online form ID number” to ensure the doctor can access your application.
*Please provide a return fax number or email address where completed forms can be sent.
- Federal Family and Medical Leave Act allows eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave.
- NJ Family Leave Act allows eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave.
- Social Security Disability
- NJ Family Leave Insurance allows eligible employees to receive paid leave to care for a family member with a serious health condition. The definition of “family member” has been expanded to cover more people including domestic partners, any blood relative and any individual whom you consider to be family.
- NJ Temporary Disability allows eligible employees to receive a portion of their pay if their illness prevents them from working and was not caused by their work. Ask your employer if their coverage is through a private plan or through the State plan. If through the State plan, visit:
- Social Security Disability provides eligible employees with a qualifying medical condition monetary benefits. This program is generally for people who are unable to work for a year or more. You can apply as soon as you are disabled, you do not have to wait until a year has passed.
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Financial Information and Insurance
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Patient Financial Services, 1-844-487-3627
- Atlantic Health System guarantees that patients receive essential health care services regardless of their ability to pay. Financial assistance is available through a variety of programs to low-income, uninsured and underinsured patients who do not otherwise have the ability to pay all or part of their hospital bills. To take advantage of any available federal or state financial assistance program, you must apply through the financial counseling department. The financial counselor will explain the requirements for each program and determine your eligibility.
- You can also apply for charity care through the financial services department.
- Visit this page for online bill pay, estimating the costs of your procedures or information on understanding health insurance and medical bills, where you can review Financial Information, Insurance or Bill Pay. For price estimates, please call 1-855-632-6667.
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Supporting Children and Teenagers When a Loved One is in the ICU
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Serious illness effects the entire family unit. It is important for parents and caregivers to give age-appropriate information to children and teenagers. In the age of information sharing and social media news can travel quickly. It is best that a parent or adult close to the child explain what is happening in a simple and honest manner.
Here are some resources to help guide the conversation and provide support during critical illness and recovery.
- American Academy of Pediatrics: "Talking to your child about serious illness"
- ICU Steps: Information for Children and Families
- Sesame Street Caring for Each Other: Resources, games, activities and more to help young children understand topics like health emergencies, hand washing, COVID-19 and more.
- Sesame Street in Communities: Resources, games and tips for helping children during challenges. Resources are searchable by age, time and type. Explore topics such as, offering comfort and talking about big feelings or helping kids grieve.
- The Dougy Center's Pathways program has resources to help families when a family member is living with advanced serious illness.
- Good Grief provides information and resources to support the emotional needs of children and families navigating new life circumstances including coping during the pandemic and childhood resiliency. Good Grief also provides grief resources and programs for children and their caregivers.
- Eluna Network supports children and families impacted by addiction or grief. They provide innovative resources and programs to address the needs of children as they navigate substance abuse within their family or the death of someone close to them.
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Grief and Bereavement
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If you are grieving the loss of a loved one, we are here to help.
Thrive: ICU Survivors Peer Support Group
Survivors of critical illness and their adult family members and caregivers can connect with others who are experiencing similar challenges during recovery. The group is led by social work staff and a peer lived experience volunteer. Thrive is meeting virtually via secure videoconferencing. Please call 973-971-5699 to register at least one week prior to your first day attending the group.
Ongoing COVID Recovery Care
Some patients who recover from COVID-19 have persistent symptoms, which can affect multiple areas of the body.
The Atlantic COVID Recovery Center was established to effectively manage the health and recovery needs of patients experiencing complications 30 days after having the virus.
