We want to give a huge thanks to all of the staff, volunteers, donors, and anyone else who made Miles for Matheny possible! It was incredibly fun to gather with our community and celebrate!

We strive to create these memorable events with the spectacular individuals in the Matheny family, and we’re eager to create even more.

We’re looking forward to next year – Miles for Matheny 2022 will be bigger and better!

We’re proud to have so many remarkable, hard-working, and accomplished people on our Matheny staff. Today, we’re thrilled to share that Matheny’s Chief Financial Officer Kathleen Powers was included on NJBIZ’s “Accounting Power 50” List! As NJBIZ puts it:

“Business owners and executives fortunate enough – and smart enough – to work with the CPAs recognized here are getting top-flight advice and service.”

Matheny has certainly benefited from Kathy’s skills, experience, and dedication. We couldn’t be more grateful to have her on our team. Please join us in congratulating Kathy and the rest of the great professionals on this list!

It’s that time of year again!

This Saturday, June 5th, is our 24th annual Miles For Matheny celebration! As always, this event both benefits and celebrates children and adults with special needs.

Although we are not able to hold a celebration as large as the ones in years past, we will still offer a day of fun and community while prioritizing safety for everyone involved. We are thrilled to be offering in-person cycling at Peapack’s Liberty Park (with routes designed by the Bedminster Flyers), as well as virtual events for those who would rather participate from home.

If you are joining us for in-person cycling, the schedule is:

7:30am Registration Opens

8:00am Hills of Attrition and 50-Mile Cycle Rides Start

8:30am 35, 25, and 10-Mile Cycle Rides Start

12:00pm Welcome back cyclists to Liberty Park

If you prefer to participate virtually, you will have until the end of the day on June 2oth to complete your event. Record and share your time if you want to, but it’s not required to participate. Learn more on our website.

Follow along on social media throughout the day – we’ll be celebrating on our Peapack campus and group homes! Share pictures or video of your own Miles celebrations and use the hashtags #MilesForMatheny and #MilesOfSmiles.

A special thank you to all our sponsors, as well as our individual and team fundraisers! We couldn’t do it without you!

Thank you for being a part of our celebration. We love sharing this special day with our Matheny community. See you Saturday!

Madara Dias of Bridgewater has successfully defended her Master’s thesis, “Development of a Dynamic Lateral Support for Wheelchair Users”. Dias is currently a student in Rutgers University’s Biomedical Engineering graduate program.

The Rutgers Biomedical Engineering program has collaborated with Matheny for the past four years. In a typical year, students enrolled in Rutgers University’s biomedical engineering major and working on their capstone senior project participate in a week-long immersion program at Matheny, a special hospital and school for children and adults with medically complex developmental disabilities. Rutgers students explore physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, wheelchair fabrication and customization, the wheelchair clinic, classes at both the Matheny School and the adult services program, and assistive technology. Access and exposure to Matheny services and programs enable the Rutgers students to better conceptualize and develop a plan for an innovative device designed to improve the lives of those with disabilities.

During their fall semester, student teams work on conceptualizing their idea and designing it. The spring semester is devoted to creating a prototype, testing it, refining it, and delivering a finished product. The Rutgers students are guided by Dr. Kristen S. Labazzo, an assistant professor of practice in biomedical engineering and the executive director of the Medical Device Development Center at Rutgers University. Labazzo also serves as Chair of the Matheny School Board.

Dias’ project built upon the work of a previous group of students who had conceptualized a different kind of lateral support for wheelchair users. A lateral support is used for patients who require additional support in order to maintain balance and stability while seated in their wheelchair. Their idea was to develop a lateral support that would not only hold the patient securely but allow them to move and bend from side to side, all while being affordable, adjustable, and dynamic.

According to Dr. Kristen Labazzo, “Madara was the ideal BME student who took advantage, not only of the variety of opportunities that crossed her path during her education (research, internships, co-ops), but she also diversified her skill set. BMEs can be trained in a variety of skills for multiple career paths, and Madara explored different areas of the field to get a better understanding of her interests.”

Dr. Labazzo added, “The collaboration with Matheny has been so rewarding, not just for me but for all of the students who have been involved. Interacting directly with the caregivers, clients and students at Matheny has been eye-opening, and puts our work in a different perspective. So far, the projects have been the focus of our senior design program, but Madara was inspired and wanted to further develop one for her Master’s thesis. We went through all the projects and determined that the dynamic lateral support had the best potential for advancement. It was also great that the student from the original group, Chris Evans, offered to be a resource, despite having graduated and working on his own Master’s degree.”

Adding to the challenge, the pandemic forced Dias to develop her project without being able to visit Matheny for in person consultations. However, Dias received support and encouragement from Matheny’s director of assistive technology, John Reck. According to Reck, “It was a pleasure working with Madara. She is an excellent learner and I am so happy to see where she has taken this project. This innovation and the many others that come out of the partnership with Rutgers will certainly help my colleagues and me better serve our patients.” Dias also worked closely with Rutgers University professors Dr. Kristen Labazzo, Dr. Noshir Langrana, and Dr. Natalie Macon.

Dias received her B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Math from Rutgers University. She was awarded the NASA NJ Space Grant Consortium Fellowship which helped support her graduate education. Dias anticipates receiving a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering, as well as a Certificate in Medical Device Design and Development, in May 2021. “This project was a great reminder of why I chose Biomedical Engineering – and that was to help people! I’m really grateful for the Rutgers-Matheny collaboration for giving me the chance to work on a project that could potentially make an impact on patient lives!” says Dias.

Please join us in welcoming William M. (Bill) Kent, Matheny’s new President & CEO! We are so excited to have him join us!

Before joining Matheny, Bill Kent was the President of the Lehigh Valley Hospital, based in Allentown, PA. Mr. Kent joined Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) in December 2015. In his role as President, he was responsible for overall hospital management and operations for LVHN’s Lehigh Valley-Cedar Crest Hospital, 17th Street Hospital, and Tilghman Orthopedics Hospital. His responsibilities also included oversight of the Lehigh Valley Children’s Hospital, service lines including burn, neurosciences, orthopedics, trauma and perioperative services, support services and supply chain management.

Prior to joining LVHN, Mr. Kent served as Senior Vice President for Infrastructure and Operations over 14 years at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Additionally, Mr. Kent was employed for 13 years with the Johns Hopkins Health System. While at Johns Hopkins, he held several senior leadership positions including President of Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, a subsidiary operating primary care practices throughout Maryland.

Mr. Kent graduated from Wittenberg University with a biology major and earned a master’s degree in health administration from the Washington University School of Medicine. Upon earning his master’s degree, Mr. Kent completed a two-year administrative fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Mr. Kent has served on numerous community boards including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lehigh Valley, the Greater Cincinnati Health Council, the Life Center Organ Donation Network and the March of Dimes. Mr. Kent is an Eagle Scout and served as district chairman for the Boy Scouts in Baltimore. While at Cincinnati Children’s, he developed a health careers exploring program for high school students. Additionally, he participated on the Cincinnati Mayor’s task force (including the United Way) to develop a plan for increasing economic inclusion and supplier diversity in the greater Cincinnati region. Mr. Kent is married and has two children.

All of us at Matheny wish a Happy Hanukkah to all who are celebrating this week!

Want to learn more about the meaning of the celebration? Check out this explanation from Matheny staff member Sharon.

Donate 

Give the gift of Safety this holiday season by donating to Matheny. Our frontline healthcare heroes, our resilient residents and remarkable students are shining examples of hope and the good that can come out of these most difficult times. Please consider making a gift this #GivingTuesday to ensure that these extraordinary people have the tools, equipment, and other resources needed to continue to be safe and healthy. Our staff members treat our residents and students like family, and we want them to know how much their efforts are appreciated. And when we help our staff, we improve the lives of children and adults with disabilities who call Matheny home.

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!

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!