Occupational therapist Maura Mirecki makes an adjustment to Bari-Kim’s new wheelchair.

When Bari-Kim Goldrosen, who has diplegic cerebral palsy, moved from Matheny into one of Matheny’s community residences in 1997 at age 27, “the original thought,” her mother, Sheila Goldrosen, recalls, “was that if you’re living in the community, you go to doctors in the community.” But Bari-Kim and her family soon realized that the best doctors, dentists and therapists, for people with disabilities, are located at the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, and so Bari-Kim travels the 20 miles from Franklin Township, NJ, to Peapack, NJ, to see the therapists and rehab technicians in the MCMD seating and mobility clinic and to receive primary medical care, eye exams and dental care.

The Center of Medicine and Dentistry was started, according to Christina P. Mand, MD, because “we understand the culture of disability. Anyone who comes to our center will feel comfortable in our waiting room—no one will stare or comment, as can happen in a regular physician’s office.” Bari-Kim has an annual physical exam with Dr. Mand and comes for periodic visits in between as needed.

The seating and mobility clinic recently helped Bari-Kim acquire a new wheelchair, something she desperately needed. “The process for obtaining Medicare and secondary insurance authorizations is involved and cumbersome,” explains Kevin McCormick,  director of rehabilitation technology. “However, everyone from the group home manager to the clinician to the rehab staff to Bari-Kim’s parents worked together to get the authorizations.” The new wheelchair was delivered December 18.

“Bari-Kim likes going to the doctors here,” says Sheila Goldrosen. “They know how to handle everything. I trust them.”

The Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry gives more than 800 children, teens and adults with disabilities the best outpatient medical, dental and therapy care possible. But insurance covers less than 50% of the cost of care. Your contributions to Matheny’s #GivingTuesday campaign can help make certain that those with the greatest need continue to get the support and services they deserve.

Click here to DONATE NOW.

Bari-Kim with, from left: Gary E. Eddey, MD., Matheny vice president and chief medical officer; her brother, Neal; mother, Sheila; and father, Dr. Richard Goldrosen.

Nicholas Barros with Sara Osman MD, physiatrist, and J. Andrew Bowe MD, pediatric orthopedist.

Eleven-year-old Nicholas Barros was born with a condition called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy. As a result of this condition, Nicholas has major medical issues relating to his weak joints and the need for support.

His mother, Estela Perez of Bernardsville, NJ, brings him to the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry (MCMD) to see the pediatric orthopedist and physiatrist, as well as the dentist. “If the clinic weren’t here,” she says, “I would have to go from hospital to hospital. All the doctors here take care of him.” And if there’s a service Matheny doesn’t have, “the put me in touch with other doctors,” says Perez. “They don’t just leave me alone.” Nicholas also makes regular visits to the MCMD’s seating and mobility clinic, where adjustments are made to his wheelchair, and where, says Perez, “they have provided me with information that helps us make our house more accessible.”

The MCMD specializes in healthcare for people with mild to severe developmental and intellectual disabilities in an outpatient setting. It gives more than 800 New Jersey kids, teens and adults with disabilities the best outpatient medical, dental and therapy care possible.

Nicholas attends The Matheny School, and his school physical therapist, Elizabeth Hess, accompanies him and his parents during visits with the orthopedist and physiatrist. “It prevents important information from being lost,” Hess explains. “It allows me, after hearing what the doctor says, to go over it with Nicholas’ parents later, because sometimes it’s hard to take in all at once everything the doctor says.”

Insurance covers less than 50% of the cost of care in the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry. Your contributions to Matheny’s #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.

Estela Perez and Nicholas in the waiting room.

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, 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.