The Matheny Adult Day Center had a special visitor in early October! 
John Elliott, the famous weatherman from CBS 2 New York, spent a morning with us in Hillsborough interviewing clients and staff during the first day of in-person program since March.
We’re so grateful to John for his time! Everyone had a great time speaking with him. Check out photos from the day below.
Matheny has had to make many changes to keep our staff, patients, and residents safe over the last few months. We’ve had to make significant adjustments to many of our usual events. But Fall is always a busy time at Matheny, and we’re determined to have fun, even as we take precautions.
Check out photos from our special Trunk or Treat event on Red Zone! Things may be different this year, but we’re keeping up the Halloween spirit!
It’s been a very difficult few months for all of us. So Lynn Coyle and her students from the Matheny Music Therapy Department decided to put something together to cheer everyone up and express how much they miss the parents, staff, volunteers, and friends in the wider Matheny community.
Check out the video below – we hope you enjoy it!
On Tuesday, August 11th, Matheny was visited by a great group of volunteers from Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes. They distributed 6,500 pieces of free personal protective equipment (PPE) to Matheny employees.
Founded by Rhonda Roland Shearer and launched in April, Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes distributes PPE directly to organizations, communities, and individuals most in need – hospital, homeless shelter and nursing home workers, veterans, and public housing residents. So far, they’ve handed out more than 725,000 items of PPE.
Our heartfelt thanks go to Rhonda and Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes for their time and generosity! You can learn more about their wonderful work here and on their Facebook page.
Learn more about the event at Matheny here.
Children’s Specialized Hospital (CSH), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, and Matheny School and Hospital, Inc. have announced plans to enter into a strategic collaboration. This agreement will allow CSH and Matheny to share expertise, experience and resources in an effort to improve access to high quality clinical care and education for those with disabilities throughout New Jersey.
The organizations’ missions are parallel – to provide the programs and services necessary for those with special health care needs to live a life full of opportunity and potential. Matheny is a residential special hospital and school for children and adults with medically complex developmental disabilities. Matheny offers comprehensive and compassionate care to people with disabilities throughout the state of New Jersey. CSH is the nation’s leading provider of inpatient and outpatient care for children and young adults from birth to 21 years of age facing special health care challenges. These include chronic illnesses and complex physical disabilities like brain and spinal cord injuries, to developmental and behavioral issues like autism and mental health.
“I am confident that our collaboration with Matheny will prove beneficial not only for our two organizations but most importantly for the special needs community throughout New Jersey and beyond,” said Warren E. Moore, FACHE, President and CEO, Children’s Specialized Hospital and Senior Vice President, Pediatric Services, RWJBarnabas Health. “I am looking forward to working together to create a system of care for the patients and families we serve throughout their lifespan.”
“Through this collaboration, we will be able to serve more people with special needs, offer more services, and therefore increase access to care which is currently a challenge for this population,” said Kendell R. Sprott, MD, JD, President and CEO, Matheny School and Hospital. “I want to thank everyone who made this collaboration possible. We are proud to be associated with Children’s Specialized.”
About Children’s Specialized Hospital
Children’s Specialized Hospital is the nation’s leading provider of inpatient and outpatient care for children and young adults from birth to 21 years of age facing special healthcare challenges – from chronic illnesses and complex physical disabilities like brain and spinal cord injuries, to developmental and behavioral issues like autism and mental health. At 13 different New Jersey locations, our pediatric specialists partner with families to make our many innovative therapies and medical treatments more personalized and effective so each child can reach their full potential. For more information, visit www.childrens-specialized.org.
About Matheny School and Hospital
Matheny’s mission is to provide exceptional care and an optimal quality of life for children and adults with special needs and medically complex developmental disabilities. Matheny is a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Somerset County. It was founded in 1946 and today offers comprehensive quality care through its fully accredited special hospital; outpatient medical and dental clinics; adult day center; private nonprofit school; five adult group homes; and the award-winning fine arts program – Arts Access. Matheny patients live with multiple medical conditions such as Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Lesch-Nyhan Disease (LND) and a wide range of other rare disease including Rett syndrome, Angelman syndrome, Cornelia De Lange syndrome, Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome and 4Q Deletion syndrome. For more information, visit www.matheny.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram: @mathenymedical.
Virtual Miles for Matheny 2020 was a blast!
We officially kicked off our special, virtual Miles on Friday, June 12th at our Peapack campus with modified Wheelchair Walks on our three residential zones and three community group homes.
As the week went on, we were excited to receive photos and videos from the wider Matheny community telling us how they celebrated Miles!
If you want to check out great event photos, check out our album below, or follow our Facebook and Instagram pages!
Thank you for your support and participation! We couldn’t have done it without you!
Have you heard about our incredible friends and partners, the Friends of Matheny?
For over 30 years, they have raised close to $4 million to support Matheny’s programs. Thanks to the Friends, Matheny’s physical space and programs have been expanded, and our students, residents, and staff have enjoyed special trips and events. From volunteer work at the Second Chance Thrift Shop to offering the Breakfast of Champions at Miles for Matheny each year, the Friends give us so much, and we couldn’t be more grateful for them.
The Friends recently offered another financial contribution of $100,000! In these difficult and uncertain times, we are thrilled to have the generous and passionate Friends as part of our Matheny family!
Dear Matheny Community:
These troubling times have underscored the racial, economic, and health injustices that people of color face in the US and around the world. We fully support the #BlackLivesMatter movement and condemn injustices and discrimination on the basis of color, sex, or ability. We also stand with the peaceful protestors who are exercising their rights thanks to the freedoms we enjoy in this country.
Having lived through the civil rights movement and having served poor black families as a pediatrician, I am especially affected by current events. Systemic racism in healthcare exists and causes health disparities that are rampant in the black community. Systemic racism also adversely affects black families when it comes to housing, food security and education. Now is the time to stand up against all types of discrimination and try to lift each other up.
Over 74 years ago, Matheny was founded on the basis that there were very few educational opportunities for people with disabilities. Today, Matheny is a comprehensive non-profit hospital and school where people of all races, economic status, and abilities are cared for with the love and respect they deserve. We are proud of the diversity of our staff and we are committed to continue our efforts to combat racism on all levels. Matheny stands in solidarity with our black brothers and sisters and we are hopeful that this is the beginning of the end of systemic racism.
Kendell R. Sprott, MD, JD
President and CEO
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Matheny remains committed to keeping our patients and staff safe and healthy. Dr. Vincent Barba, our Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, has several recommendations (informed by CDC and World Health Organization guidelines) to help us continue to minimize the spread of the virus in our communities.
Matheny will continue to:
We encourage safety practices in our homes and lives outside of Matheny as well. You can protect your communities and loved ones by:
Both at Matheny and across the state of New Jersey, we have made real gains in managing this pandemic – but it’s not over yet. We hope you’ll help us continue this vigilance until the pandemic reaches its end.
Spring is a usually a busy and wonderful season at Matheny. The weather is warm and welcoming. Our campus is green and full of flowers. Fun activities take place outside.
We all know that this spring has been different – and difficult. Although we are confident that there will be light at the end of this tunnel, a great deal of work still needs to be done before that time, and the health and safety of our patients and staff remain our top priorities. With this in mind, we will not be holding an in-person gathering for Miles for Matheny 2020. We’re very disappointed – this annual gathering with families, friends, and neighbors is one of the highlights of our year. We will sorely miss seeing you in person, but hope you will join us for a new and special Virtual Miles for Matheny 2020!
The fundamentals of the event have not changed. We will still come together as a community to celebrate the incredible work done at Matheny. You can still run or cycle (while social distancing!) for us, if you wish. And, as usual, every dollar raised will go directly to our programs and services – medical care, education, physical therapy, music therapy, adult day care, recreational therapy, fine arts, and much more. You can learn more at our Miles for Matheny website, and look out for further updates by email and social media!
Even in these past few challenging weeks, we have seen plenty of things that are worth celebrating. Each and every day, our frontline staff – our healthcare heroes – give us reason for immense hope and gratitude, even amid our fear and anxiety. Matheny would not be Matheny without them. And we hope you’ll join us in celebrating them, even if it has to be from afar.
To our devoted frontline employees and precious patients we lost – this Miles is for you.
Dear Matheny Community,
Even in the most difficult moments, there’s a little light to be found.
Over the last several weeks, we have been excited and overwhelmed by numerous displays of generosity from Matheny’s supporters, partners, and surrounding community.
There were the kind strangers who left a chalk message of encouragement to our staff by the front door (see our website banner photo). And the numerous individuals who have shared their favorite memories of volunteering or participating in Matheny events (see our social media pages). And then, in the last month, we have seen several donations of personal protective equipment (PPE) and to our new Matheny Emergency Fund.
To our community, thank you. Partnerships and cooperation are critical in times of crisis, and your gifts play an essential role in keeping our students and patients safe and happy.
In time, we will look back on the COVID-19 pandemic, and remember the significant role you played in getting us through it.
Once again, and we cannot say it enough – Thank you.
Kendell R. Sprott, MD, JD – President and CEO
On April 3rd, 2020, New Jersey Business Magazine discussed the challenges of meeting the healthcare needs of diverse populations. Thanks to the NJ Hospital Association, the piece highlighted the inclusion efforts of several health organizations around the state, including Matheny:
“Inclusion is also the goal for other populations, including those living with disabilities. The Matheny Medical and Educational Center in Peapack promotes diversity and inclusion by providing people with disabilities opportunities to engage in their communities through initiatives like its Miles for Matheny Wheelchair Walk and its Brave Bag partnerships with several police departments.”
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