When Dr. Alexander Salerno and his staff greet patients in any of his practice locations across Northern New Jersey and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, they’re continuing his family legacy of compassionate community care that spans three generations. In fact, the roots of his Nirvana Healthcare Management Services (NHMS) trace back to both of his parents' Newark-based medical practices in the 1950s.
“I grew up accompanying them on their patient rounds and house calls, which instilled in me a tremendous respect for their patient-centered approach to providing healthcare, much of it serving the lower-income people in the communities where we lived,” he recalled. “Like my parents, I strongly believe quality healthcare should be an inalienable right, not a privilege.”
A personal journey leads to a healthcare transformation
His family upbringing led Dr. Salerno to gain the education and credentials that would help him to reimagine healthcare delivery, especially for underserved urban communities. In addition to his M.D., he is board-certified in internal medicine and earned master’s degrees in healthcare administration and public health. He’s also a retired captain, U.S. Air Force Medical Reserves.
To pursue his vision of delivering equitable, quality healthcare for all, Dr. Salerno joined his mother’s practice in 2001, and they merged his father’s practice soon after. At the time, they had just five employees working out of a modest 1,200-square-foot office.
But, from the start, Dr. Salerno focused not only on patient-centered care, as his parents had, but also on ensuring the entire patient experience was extraordinary, one that can calm patient fears and promote healing. As he explained: “I considered my own great experiences as a customer in a hotel, restaurant, or retail store, and thought, ‘why can’t I bring that to medicine?’”
Initially, Dr. Salerno bootstrapped the upgrading of his medical office with what little funds he had left from his practice’s operating cash flow. “I used furnishings from IKEA's basement to turn our waiting room into a living room, playing DVD movies to comfort patients who might be nervous about their condition or seeing a doctor,” he said.
“Nobody did that back then. I wanted my healthcare model to be an exceptional and nurturing experience for all my patients. And today it is. When patients enter our offices, the experience is welcoming and comfortable—not sterile and forbidding.”
From a single practice to a healthcare enterprise with 60,000 patients — and TD Bank’s support
Today, NHMS is an innovative healthcare enterprise serving over 60,000 patients. Most offices are restored neighborhood family homes filled with art and designed to help patients feel at ease while receiving the best care possible.
With its support center in India, the organization employs about 500 people, including more than 30 physicians, offering 49 different health services from primary care to mental health—a true one-stop shop for community healthcare needs.
What’s more, NHMS has pioneered innovative programs addressing healthcare disparities, including house calls and community education initiatives. “To improve patient outcomes, we’re firm believers that our healthcare professionals must be both healers and educators,” Dr. Salerno said. “Nearly all are bilingual—as comfortable speaking Spanish as they are speaking English, which helps them connect with all our patients. And patient education helps turn our healthcare model from reactive to proactive. It’s so much cheaper to prevent a heart attack than to treat one.”
This patient-centered approach has flourished with support from TD Bank, which has been instrumental in NHMS's expansion to nearly a dozen facilities spanning more than 100,000 square feet. The relationship began with his parents being long-time customers of Commerce Bank, which TD Bank acquired in 2008.
“Good old-fashioned customer service”
“TD continued what we’d now might call ‘good old-fashioned customer service,’” Dr. Salerno said. “I still go to the same branch my mom and dad went to. So, TD knows me, they know everything about me, handling both my business and personal banking. Chris Stasuk, my TD relationship manager, has visited all my offices and regularly meets with us to learn about and advise on our plans.”
Through its Healthcare Practice Solutions Group, TD Bank has supported Dr. Salerno’s vision every step of the way, providing mortgages, working capital, construction loans, and treasury management systems*. “It's not just banking, it's relationship building,” Dr. Salerno noted. “TD was there for us during the pandemic and helped us stay open and manage through a very troubling time. They’re a key part of my team and in the huddle with me when we’re calling the plays.”
For TD Bank, supporting Dr. Salerno's vision represents exactly what community banking should be—a catalyst for positive change that spans generations. Together, they're proving that when passion for healing meets innovative thinking and strong financial partnership, transformative healthcare is possible for all communities.
TD Bank, N.A., Member FDIC
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