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For Jo Ann Hopkins, Capital Health is more than a place to work. It’s a family.
“I was born at Capital Health, all of my sisters were born here, and they’ve also worked here,” says Hopkins of the Trenton, New Jersey-based system, which is composed of two hospitals, an outpatient facility, and various primary and specialty care practices across the region. “This place has been, and continues to be, such a huge part of my life.”
Her 20-year tenure at Capital Health, which has a reputation for providing advanced care and ensuring community access to high-quality, affordable healthcare services, is a testament to that. Today, her commitment to the organization and the people it serves continues as director of project and property management.
In that role, she has had the opportunity to help expand Capital Health’s footprint through strategic planning initiatives. She collaborates with hospital leaders to help the organization understand whether it needs to grow through additional locations or services—an aspect of the job that she’s most passionate about. She then takes those plans and brings them to fruition.
“I love working with leadership to find locations where there might be gaps of care in the community,” she says. “But I’m also drawn to helping us figure out how to accommodate program growth within existing spaces. That’s where the creativity and challenge begins.”
She continues: “It can often be like a big puzzle. You sit, look at blueprints, figure out who is where, who needs to be where, and where they can perform the work. It starts this juggling act of moving people around, getting buy-in, and finding space to help our clinical teams expand much needed programs.”
Considering the local healthcare landscape in recent years, these efforts have become increasingly important. When St. Francis Medical Center, a nearly 150-year institution serving central Jersey residents, announced its closure in 2022, many feared Trenton would suffer an insurmountable loss of care. That was until Capital Health stepped up to acquire the institution’s services and to continue promoting access to its patient base, which largely comprises the most vulnerable.
“It can often be like a big puzzle. You sit, look at blueprints, figure out who is where, who needs to be where, and where they can perform the work.”
Jo Ann Hopkins
To ensure the community’s needs were met as part of the transition, Capital Health moved to expand access to emergency services and additionally turn an administrative wing at its Regional Medical Center into a medical patient unit. The move also allowed the organization to ensure a cardiac surgery program remained in Trenton. The clinical staff part of the program will utilize a dedicated open heart operating room (OR), a hybrid room that can also be used for other surgical cases, and a catheterization lab.
Hopkins and her team have worked closely with top surgeons, OR nurses, and others to develop an OR suite tailored to their needs. Through 3D modeling, the clinical staff experiences the suite in real time and advises on ways it can be improved.
“When you put a project team like this together, you need to have that clinical aspect in the room,” she says. “These are the people who will live in that environment and will direct you on the shape of the box and what goes in it. We listen very carefully to see what they need and how they’ll move around the space to design it and put things where they need to be. That way when it opens, it will be near perfect for these surgeons, and they will be successful from the start.”
Beyond the program and efforts to prepare for an influx of patients and services absorbed from St. Francis, Hopkins is proud to see Capital Health working to serve the community in other ways. That includes addressing the social needs of its community and its employees.
“Our CEO, Al Maghazehe, believes that care is holistic and extends beyond the walls of our buildings. Even though our mainstay is healthcare services, we all feel the need to go further for our community, so we are taking action to help improve the social determinant of health,” she says. “That includes navigating housing issues, educational issues, food issues, and more through our Trenton Neighborhood Initiative.”
On the education side, Capital Health runs a school of nursing and a school of radiology and has an EMT Academy. The organization also offers a scholarship program that community members and employees can apply to. As a leader who places a lot of importance on providing education opportunities to staff, Hopkins says these offerings resonate with her.
“I want my team to have a chance to further their knowledge about the business they’re in whether that’s through hands-on experiences or educational opportunities,” she shares. “I encourage people to attend seminars, to talk with and interact with other leaders so that they learn how to work with them but also understand context better.”
Hopkins is eager to help continue efforts to grow Capital Health.
“I’ve seen where Capital Health was and where it is now and have had the opportunity to grow along with the organization,” she says. “I think my own personality and the excitement I find in my work is mirrored in our leadership and organizational culture. It has been, and continues to be, a very rewarding organization to be a part of.”
For nearly two decades, Capital Health has entrusted NK Architects to reimagine the design of its facilities. The integral figure behind this lasting partnership is Jo Ann Hopkins; her ability to effectively manage project parameters while balancing staff needs and maintaining facility standards demonstrates the adeptness of her leadership skills. Together, we’ve had the privilege to weave empathy and innovation into every project, translating designs into sanctuaries of care that pulse with life and healing.
Anchor Health Properties congratulates Jo Ann Hopkins and Capital Health as they continue to improve the health and well-being of the populations they serve in urban and suburban communities.
As director of project and property management, Jo Ann thrives on embracing challenges, fostering connections, and cultivating understanding. Her commitment to increasing accessibility and convenience to comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care is a testament to her vested interest in the long-term success of each project and program. We are excited to continue our collaboration with Jo Ann as she continues to create lasting value within the communities she serves.
