Musical inspiration

Jameir Warren-Treadwell on the drums during the performance of “Some Nights.”

ArtWorks is an organization that serves children and young adults suffering from chronic and life-threatening illnesses. It gives them and their siblings access to creative and performing arts programs that encourage the use of the creative process as a vehicle for healing, communication, self-expression and personal development.

Every November, ArtWorks holds an event called Express Yourself, an exhibition of fine and performing arts. It’s a unique, safe and supportive environment where children share their stories of strength, courage, hope, loss and survival through art, music, song, dance and poetry.

As part of a musical presentation on November 17, a group of Matheny students and patients, who call themselves the Matheny Muses, performed “Some Nights” by the indie pop group Fun for all the children and families gathered for the event, held at the Montclair Art Museum. The Muses are participants in Matheny’s music therapy program, which uses various types of music to help develop students’ and patients’ cognitive, physical, emotional and social skills.

Tim McLoone and group home resident Missy Barrett.

Few events are as eagerly anticipated at Matheny as the annual holiday concert presented by Holiday Express, the all-volunteer band that delivers music, food, gifts and friendship to those in need during the holiday season. Holiday Express has been coming to Matheny since 2001, and several of the volunteer musicians are like old friends, just stopping by for a visit.

Tim McLoone, the leader and founder of Holiday Express, dedicated this year’s concert, held on December 8 in the Robert Schonhorn Arts Center, to “all the volunteers, social workers, therapists, all the staff members. You are so amazing for what you do for all of these wonderful people.”

From the Holiday Express theme song, “Nobody Ought to be Alone on Christmas” to the rollicking, interactive “12 Days of Christmas,” the afternoon translated into two hours of pure joy and happiness.

Thank you, Holiday Express. All the wonderful musicians who give so freely of their time truly make this a season of joy. Matheny is but one of 60 venues the group visits between mid-November and Christmas Eve.

From left, Holiday Express singer Doris Jackson, Cathy Wild of Bedminster, NJ, and her son James, a Matheny student.

From left, Eileen Murray, director of Arts Access; Jane Kurek; and Steve Proctor, Matheny president.

The Provident Bank Foundation was established in 2003 with the intent of supporting not-for-profit groups, schools and other organizations that provide valuable services to the New Jersey communities served by The Provident Bank.

With that in mind, the Foundation was a Gold Patron of Full Circle 2013 Reflections, the 20th anniversary of Matheny’s Arts Access Program.  Jane Kurek, executive director of The Provident Bank Foundation, recently visited Matheny and was given a tour of both the Robert Schonhorn Arts Center and the hospital and school. PBF is committed to strengthening and sustaining its relationship with communities in its marketplace. Matheny values that relationship and hopes it will be a long-term partnership.

Judith Marino, her mother Ursula and Matheny gynecologist Judith Hersh, MD.

If the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry didn’t exist, Ursula Marino of Sayreville, NJ, would have to take her daughter Judith to private doctors all over the state. Instead, Judith, who was born with brain damage, can receive primary medical care, women’s health care, dental care and seating and mobility assistance all in one place.

“It’s worth the trip,” says Ursula Marino. “You go somewhere else, and they don’t know what to do. Here, they’re very patient, and they know Judith by name. Everybody is very thorough. They don’t let things slide.”  The Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry specializes in health care for people with mild to severe developmental and intellectual disabilities in an outpatient setting.

Adult women with disabilities are just as susceptible to breast cancer, cervical cancer and menstrual and menopausal problems as women without disabilities. As a result, Matheny maintains a gynecologist on staff. Women with disabilities may or may not be verbal, so their doctors must be extremely patient and understanding, often taking a pediatric approach.

In Matheny’s seating and mobility clinic, occupational and physical therapists collaborate with rehabilitation technicians to optimize function and minimize discomfort for individuals in wheelchairs. Seating and mobility staff members are certified as assistive technology practitioners and suppliers by the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA).

“Here, she fits in,” says Ursula Marino. She feels comfortable.”

Insurance covers less than 50% of the cost of care in the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry. Your contributions to the #GivingTuesday campaign will make certain that those with the greatest need continue to get the support and services they deserve.

Click here to DONATE NOW.

From left, Tom, Bobby and Carol Hopkins.

Some mornings, without warning, something will break in Bobby Hopkins’ wheelchair. “I just put Bobby in our van and take him to the seating and mobility clinic at Matheny,” says Bridgewater, NJ, resident Tom Hopkins, his father. “They’ve saved the day for us more than once.”

“Everything’s under one roof,” adds his wife Carol, “so you’re talking to the therapists and the technicians at the same time. They confer so they can see what actually can be done. I think what I could say more than anything about Matheny is that the people there understand Bobby.”

Bobby Hopkins, now 42, was born with a seizure disorder exhibiting many of the same symptoms as cerebral palsy. He comes to the Center of Medicine and Dentistry for primary care in addition to his visits to the seating and mobility clinic. The Hopkins have been bringing Bobby to the Matheny Medical and Educational Center for outpatient services for about 20 years, even though the outpatient clinic, the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, wasn’t built until 2003.

“One of the things I like,” adds Tom, “is how other people are treated—with respect and care.” His wife concurs. “So many places lose sight of the individual. The secretaries, the nurses, the people walking by when we’re in the waiting room—they all say ‘hello.’ They’re pleasant to the other people they’re dealing with. It’s just a calming, pleasant, capable place. It puts you at ease. Plus they don’t have unrealistic expectations, and they keep our expectations realistic.”

The Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry specializes in healthcare for people with a wide range of disabilities – from cerebral palsy to autism. We provide general medical services and specialty care, a full range of dental services and customized seating and mobility devices.

Insurance covers less than 50% of the cost of care at the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry. Your contributions to the #GivingTuesday campaign will make certain that those with the greatest need continue to get the support and services they deserve.

Click here to DONATE NOW.

From left, Amanda, Sam and Daniel Anastasia.

When Amanda Anastasia was about eight years old, she needed a new power wheelchair. “At the time,” her mother Sam recalls, “she had been driving her wheelchair with a scanner. It was a very slow process. The therapists at the Children’s Center for Therapy, where she was going to school, recommended that we visit the seating and mobility clinic at Matheny. They tested her, using head array, and she did fantastic. She learned to drive with her head. What a difference it made!”

Amanda, now 20, and her brother, Daniel, 15, live in Hopatcong, NJ, and have a condition called Aicardi-Goutieres, a syndrome that affects all of their motor functions. They have been in wheelchairs virtually their entire lives, but since that visit about 12 years ago, all of their wheelchair and equipment needs have been managed by Matheny.

“When Amanda got her first power wheelchair,” her mother recalls, “I didn’t feel the salesperson had good knowledge of the product. She just suggested a chair and that’s kind of what we went with. At Matheny, they have expert knowledge about products and seating positioning. Because of the population living at Matheny, they have so much real life experience.” Her children, she points out, “live in their chairs.” The Matheny therapists, she says, “know their movements, their tone. If there’s a problem, they find a way to solve it. They have creative ideas; they think outside the box.”

The transition from a manual to a power wheelchair, she emphasizes, is critically important. “A power chair,” she says, “gives them some independence. They can drive from room to room. The chairs elevate, they tilt, they recline. So, they can change their position themselves. They don’t have to wait for somebody or try to explain to somebody where they want to move.”

The seating and mobility clinic at Matheny is part of the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry. Our clinic team of therapists and rehabilitation technicians strives to meet the needs of each individual by providing the perfect match of assistive technology services and products to provide the highest level of health, function and quality of life. For more information, call (908) 234-0011, ext. 722.

Insurance covers less than 50% of the cost of care in the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry. Your contributions to the #GivingTuesday campaign will make certain that those with the greatest need continue to get the support and services they deserve.

Click here to DONATE NOW.

From left, Mengchi Steven Yang, DDS; John DiNorcia and Alyne Heslin, certified dental assistant.

John DiNorcia was born with a genetic disability called G Syndrome, which left him with an intellectual disability. During his childhood, he attended the Midland School in North Branch, NJ, and currently goes to a Midland Adult Services day program.

When John was growing up, a visit to the dentist “made him squirm in fear,” says his mother Dorothy. About five years ago, she discovered the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, and John’s visits to the dentist have changed dramatically. “It’s very hard finding a dentist for a person with a disability,” Raritan, NJ, resident Dorothy DiNorcia says. “Most dentists wanted to put him out because they felt they could clean his teeth better that way. One dentist even told me to sit on him while he was being treated.” At Matheny, “he walks in all by himself. The staff talks to him in a very calm way.”

The Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry specializes in healthcare for people with mild to severe developmental and intellectual disabilities in an outpatient setting. Dental services and treatment include x-rays, cleanings, treatment of cavities, extractions, restorative dentistry, oral surgery, root canals, behavior management, cancer screening and biopsies. Services are provided in partnership with Rutgers School of Dental Medicine.

What differentiates Matheny’s dental clinic from most practices is that its dentist, Mengchi Steven Yang, DDS, is trained to provide care for patients who may make sudden, involuntary movements or who may need to be lifted from a wheelchair to the dentist’s chair. And the environment is friendly to patients with disabilities, who often feel out of place in an ordinary dentist’s office.

“It has to do with how they handle him,” adds Dorothy. “They talk to him. They show him everything.”

Insurance covers less than 50% of the cost of care in the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry. Your contributions to the #GivingTuesday campaign will make certain that those with the greatest need continue to get the support and services they deserve.

Click here to DONATE NOW.

Ana Congo with, from left, her mother Nancy; home health aide Sonrisa Cortes and father Dale Congo.

Peapack, NJ is nearly 50 miles north of Red Bank, NJ, but Ana Congo, a 27-year-old with cerebral palsy and associated behavioral issues, makes that trip regularly to receive primary medical and women’s health care at the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry.

“Ana has real anxiety about anybody medical,” explains her mother Nancy. “Matheny is very well equipped to handle all of that—not just the physical but the emotional. So, that makes the trip worth it right there.” The Congo family moved to Red Bank from the Boston area about 13 years ago and had trouble finding a medical facility nearby that could effectively treat Ana. “Most doctors don’t understand,” says Nancy, “but Matheny’s staff understands her unique needs. I’ve wasted a lot of time going to other hospitals.”

Most health providers have little experience caring for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities, who may have difficulties communicating “what hurts” without the help of an interpreter or assistive technology. At the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, the integrated team of specialists seamlessly connects with patients to address and calm their concerns.

As primary care physician Christine P. Mand, DO, explains, “There is a culture of disability here. Our patients receive the same care as at a regular medical center, but they feel comfortable when they’re here.” Nancy Congo agrees. “By the time Ana’s done, she’s throwing kisses.”

Insurance covers less than 50% of the cost of care in the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry. Your contributions to the #GivingTuesday campaign will make certain that those with the greatest need continue to get the support and services they deserve.

Click here to DONATE NOW.

Matheny School teacher Peggy Zappulla holds the Middle States certification, while students and faculty members look on. Clockwise from lower left: student Deborah Eike, principal Sean Murphy, Zappulla, teacher Christina Carey and student Nicholas Barros.

The Matheny School has once again been recognized and accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. The accreditation has been renewed for seven years—from December 1, 2013, to December 1, 2020.

The official approval means that Matheny has demonstrated that it is effectively advancing the quality of educational experiences it offers its students, meets its responsibilities to the public and the profession of education, and complies with standards for accreditation that are established by the Middles States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA).

The purpose of the MSA accreditation is “to forge a path to excellence to improve the educational opportunities for students worldwide.” The accreditation process “challenges schools and school systems to meet and exceed uniform world-class standards, while reflecting the distinctive cultures of their institutions and school communities.”

Sean Bielefeldt, Matheny director of recreation therapy, explains an adapted sports activity to a student visiting the Matheny School exhibit at the NJEA convention.

Visitors to the Matheny exhibit at the recent New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) convention in Atlantic City had an opportunity to experience first-hand what it’s like for children with disabilities to participate in a game or sport. Matheny staff members designed a beanbag toss and invited convention attendees to try it out while sitting in a wheelchair. In addition, the participants had to limit the mobility of their arms or eliminate use of their arms altogether. Or they had to cover one or both eyes.

“I think many people walked away with more appreciation for students with special needs,” said Cindy LaBar, Matheny’s director of physical therapy. “It also helped them to understand that our students and all people with physical disabilities are able to participate in activities just like they do, with some adaptations. We explained that our students can ride a bike, go for a walk and even throw a football. There seemed to be a great deal of interest among public school teachers and therapists about how we adapt physical activities.”

The NJEA convention attracts thousands of educators from throughout the state who are looking for high-quality professional development and the latest in educational technology.

Firefighter Thom Ross and teaching assistant Joanna Alfone help student Ryan O’Connor handle the fire hose.

“How long does it take to get into your gear?” “How long is the fire hose?” “Who gets to hold the hose?”

Those were just some of the questions posed by Matheny School students to volunteer firefighters during the students’ annual visit to the Peapack-Gladstone Fire Department. It was a fun afternoon, but it was also a learning experience as the students became more knowledgeable about all the equipment and the firefighters’ responsibilities.

The Fire Department visit is an example of how skills and behaviors learned in the classroom are practiced and used during interactive trips to various community resources. The Matheny School students and staff members were very appreciative that the P-G volunteer firefighters took time out from their normal schedules to spend some time with them.

Transition care nurse for medical trips Cathi Losavio, RN, left, and Jeanne Lavelle, RN, transition care nurse for hospitals.

In July 2011, Matheny received a $300,000 grant from the New Jersey Health Initiatives Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to develop a model to improve transitions to and from acute care hospitals for adults with chronic neurologic disabling conditions. The grant period ended June 30, 2013, but, based on the program’s success, Matheny will continue to fund and expand it by creating a division within our nursing department, integrating our specialized resources to improve transitions during all healthcare encounters. And the program will be broadened to include children.

Here’s how the existing program works:

• A full-time transitional nurse accompanies patients to acute care hospitals, encouraging full use of information in the patient’s “mini-record”.

• The nurse follows patients throughout their hospitalization to facilitate discharge planning plus inpatient care and post-hospital transition.

The program is being continued beyond the grant period because we have strong evidence that our primary end goal —the reduction of re-hospitalizations within 30 days of discharge—was achieved.  In the 10 months preceding the implementation of our transition program, six of the 24 patients who were hospitalized were re-hospitalized within 30 days (25%). During the project period—September 2011 thru June 2013—four of the 65 patients who were hospitalized were re-hospitalized within 30 days (6.25%).

In addition, satisfaction data were gathered from Matheny patients, staff and families showing positive results overall. And smoothness of discharge plans being implemented from the acute care locations back to Matheny was greatly improved, based on patient outcomes.

Our partners in this project are Atlantic Health System’s Morristown Medical Center and Newton Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Somerset Medical Center.