Jersey Shore University Medical Center Foundation Receives $24,000 Quality of Life Grant from Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation for Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC) Devices

Edison, NJ – March 31, 2021— Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center Foundation is proud to announce that it has been awarded $24,000 as part of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) 2020 2nd Cycle Direct Effect Quality of Life grants. Fifty-one grants totaling $925,492 were awarded. The Quality of Life Grants Program supports nonprofit organizations that empower individuals living with paralysis. Since the Quality of Life Grants Program’s inception, more than 3,300 grants totaling over $32 million have been awarded. Funding for this new cycle of grants were made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living (ACL grant #90PRRC0002-03-00). 

The Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center has several grants under the Quality of Life program awarding grants in different category areas, varying in different amounts. The Direct Effect Quality of Life grants program organizations up to $25,000 to support a wide range of projects and activities that will clearly impact individuals living with paralysis and their families.

“This past year has brought about many extreme challenges to the organizations that we work with and the people we collectively serve,” said Mark Bogosian, director, Quality of Life Grants Program, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. “This cohort of grantees and their ever-important projects are a beacon of light as we navigate our way through a new year. There are still challenges ahead, but I know that together we will continue to move forward to overcome obstacles and barriers that affect the over 5.3 million Americans living with paralysis and their families and caregivers. I have complete confidence that these new projects will lead the way to a better tomorrow.” 

Jersey Shore University Medical Center Foundation will use the funds to create a loan closet that will provide patients with Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC) devices, enabling them to communicate with loved ones.  

“We are grateful to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation for providing us with this wonderful grant,” says Paul Huegel, vice president of development, Jersey Shore University Medical Center Foundation. “Losing the ability to speak can be emotionally devastating. The AAC devices that Jersey Shore University Medical Center will be able to purchase – thanks to this gift – will allow people to express themselves and have conversations with loved ones and caregivers. It is an incredibly important tool and we are very thankful to be able to offer it to our patients.” 

To learn more about how you can support Jersey Shore University Medical Center, or programs specifically designed to help paralyzed patients, please visit www.jerseyshoreuniversitymedicalcenter.com/donate/ or call Paul Huegel at 732-751-5120.

ABOUT THE REEVE FOUNDATION:

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research and improving the quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis. By uniting the brightest minds in the field, we are working tirelessly to accelerate scientific discovery across the field of spinal cord research by investing in labs across the globe. Additionally, through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living, the Reeve Foundation’s national Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) promotes the health, well-being, and independence of people living with paralysis, providing comprehensive information, resources, and referral services assisting over 100,000 individuals and families since its launch in 2002. The Reeve Foundation is committed to elevating our community’s voices and needs to achieve greater representation and independence. We meet all 20 of the Better Business Bureau’s standards for charity accountability and hold the BBB’s Charity Seal.  For more information, please visit our website at www.ChristopherReeve.org or call 800-225-0292.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN JERSEY SHORE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

Located in Neptune, New Jersey, Hackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center is a not-for-profit teaching hospital and the only Level II Trauma and Level II Pediatric Trauma Center in Monmouth and Ocean counties. It is home to K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital – the first children’s hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties. With more than 1,200 physicians and dental staff in 60 specialty areas, Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s team provides quality care in a patient-centered, environmentally-friendly setting. 

The team’s commitment to excellence has earned Jersey Shore University Medical Center numerous accolades, including being named the #4 hospital in New Jersey by U.S. News & World Report for 2018-2019. The medical center’s clinical research program and longstanding commitment to medical education is evident through an affiliation with Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University and a new affiliation with St. George’s University School of Medicine. Jersey Shore University Medical Center serves as an academic center dedicated to advancing medical knowledge, training future physicians and providing the community with access to promising medical breakthroughs. 

Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s programs and services have received numerous national recognition, including designation as high-performing in cardiac, stroke, surgical and oncology services.

Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s HOPE Tower – a $265 million 10-story medical office building provides a new healing outpatient experience. Guided by a patient-centered approach towards care, and informed by the latest medical breakthroughs, HOPE Tower includes advanced imaging services, a clinical academic center, innovative stimulation laboratory, state-of-the-art amphitheater, specialty physician offices, a nine-level parking garage, and a 58,000 square foot cancer facility. The cancer facility features a range of comprehensive treatment options, including surgical specialties, medical oncology, and the most advanced radiation therapy and minimally invasive interventional therapies. Nurse navigators guide patients through every step and provide an extra layer of support and coordination.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. 

Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 17 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children’s hospitals – Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital in Neptune; nine community hospitals – Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin; a behavioral health hospital – Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead; and two rehabilitation hospitals – JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in Brick. 

Additionally, the network has more than 500 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has more than 36,000 team members, and over 7,000 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves. 

The network’s notable distinctions include having four hospitals among the top in New Jersey by U.S. News and World Report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and being named to Becker’s Healthcare’s “150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare/2019” list.

The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine opened in 2018, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its third class of students in 2020 to its On3 campus in Nutley and Clifton. Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it. 

Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies.

For additional information, please visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org.

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