Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center recently unveiled a new treatment facility that expands neurological care in Monmouth and Ocean counties.
The $2.2 million, nearly 10,000-square-foot Dr. Robert H. Harris Neuroscience Treatment Center houses experts in neurological diseases and conditions and is part of Hackensack Meridian Health’s Neuroscience Institute.
With this new center in Amdur Pavilion, neuroscience outpatient services are now consolidated on the Neptune campus along with neurosurgical offices located in the nearby HOPE Tower.
Pictured from left, Jackie Bartley-Oxley, vice president of gift planning, Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation; Dr. Shabbar Danish, chairman of neurosurgery, Jersey Shore University Medical Center; Dr. Alan Colicchio, chair of neurology, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, and medical director, Neuroscience Care Transformation Service, Hackensack Meridian Health, Southern Market; and Mary Ellen Harris, president, Golden Dome Foundation. – HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH
The center, which officials celebrated with a Jan. 14 grand opening, was made possible, in part, through “a generous gift” from Middletown-based nonprofit the Golden Dome Foundation.
The medical center did not disclose the amount of the gift.
Founded in 2015 by the late Dr. Robert Harris and his wife and current president, Mary Ellen Harris, the foundation has invested in several Hackensack Meridian Health medical centers, including the Bayshore Medical Center, Ocean University Medical Center and Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
“My husband dedicated his life to advancing research to improve the quality of life for people facing diseases and disorders,” Harris said in a statement. “Making this gift and expanding his legacy through the naming of this new center is simply the carrying on of his life’s work. The community needs access to the best care possible and I am honored and humbled to be able to play a part in ensuring that it can be provided to those in need. I hope that this new center helps a lot of people.”
The treatment center will offer advanced diagnostic testing and treatments for conditions such as ALS, Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, neuro-oncology, epilepsy and seizure disorders, headaches and migraines and stroke prevention.
Fast facts about the
Jersey Shore University Medical Center
- Its ALS Center is one of only two ALS Association Certified Treatment Centers of Excellence in the state.
- Its MS Center is one of only two designated as a Center for Comprehensive MS Care by the National MS Society.
- It’s the only Joint Commission-certified and New Jersey Department of Health licensed Comprehensive Stroke Center in Monmouth and Ocean counties.
The demand for neurology services in New Jersey is expected to grow by more than 12% in the next 10 years, according to Dr. Alan Colicchio, chair of neurology, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, and medical director, Neuroscience Care Transformation Service, Hackensack Meridian Health, Southern Market.
Additionally, “visits to neurologists, per 1,000 population in the Monmouth/ Ocean region, outpace state averages according to health care utilization forecasts,” he added.
“With this in mind, over the past two years we have recruited 19 leading neuroscience experts from across the state and country to expand our comprehensive and nationally recognized neurology care services,” Colicchio said.
Vito Buccellato, president and chief hospital executive, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, added, “The new center was specifically designed to unite services to be more convenient and exceedingly accessible for our patients and their loved ones, in one centralized location.”
Healthgrades recently named Hackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center as one of America’s 250 Best Hospitals.
