From left, at the office ribbon cutting, is Brian Walch MBA, VP of Clinical Operations, Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC); Jeff Cline, executive director, ALS Association (ALSA); Steve Spaulding, director of Care Services, ALSA Greater Philadelphia Chapter; Mary Sedarous, M.D., ALS Center medical director; Ellen Anne Gall, APN, ALS Center; Alan Colicchio, M.D., chair of Neurology, JSUMC and medical director, Neuroscience Care Transformation Service, Hackensack Meridian Health, Southern Market and Kathy Valentino, social worker, Joan Dancy and PALS Foundation.
Newswise — Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Jersey Shore University Medical Center recently celebrated the opening of the ALS Center’s new office in the Dr. Robert H. Harris Neuroscience Treatment Center. The center is one of only two Certified Treatment Centers of Excellence in New Jersey and is designated by the ALS Association’s National Office and the Greater Philadelphia Chapter.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and is a progressive, debilitating disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, resulting in muscle weakness and atrophy. ALS often leads to total paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis.
“Our multidisciplinary team is dedicated to providing patients diagnosed with ALS with the unique, comprehensive care they require,” said Mary Sedarous, M.D., medical director, ALS Center. “We understand that an ALS diagnosis impacts patients and their families alike. As such, our care is personalized to take into account the many complexities associated with this disease process.”
The center collaborates with the ALS Association and the Northeast ALS consortium (NEALS) allowing the exchange of research and best care practices with the nation’s leading ALS experts and clinics. “Our nationally-recognized ALS Center brings together different specialists in one all-inclusive visit, providing its patients and families with a comprehensive and convenient health care experience,” said Vito Buccellato, MPA, LNHA, president and chief hospital executive, Jersey Shore University Medical Center. The Joan Dancy and PALS Foundation supports the ALS center, providing valuable feedback, education and in-servicing to enhance the care experience.
The Dr. Robert H. Harris Neuroscience Treatment Center is home to experts in several neurological diseases and conditions. They provide advanced diagnostic, medical and surgical treatments at Jersey Shore University Medical Center for multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke, epilepsy and other movement disorders, pediatric neurology, headaches and migraines, sleep medicine and neuro-oncology, among others. Neuroscience services also include the Center for Memory and Healthy Aging, Center for Paralysis and Reconstructive Nerve Surgery, Center for Advanced Skull Base Surgery, the Craniofacial Center, which is certified as an American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association, and a General Neurosurgery Program, including spine surgery.
“Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s services are truly world-class, and growing, and the ALS Center is a great example of this excellence,” said Kenneth N. Sable, M.D., MBA, FACEP, regional president, Southern Market, Hackensack Meridian Health. “The academic medical center has been recognized by Healthgrades as one of America’s Best Hospitals the past two years, one of the 100 Best for Stroke Care and with Excellence Awards in Neuroscience the past three years, as well as Excellence Awards for Cranial Neurosurgery in 2022 and 2023.”
For more information about the ALS Center or to make an appointment, call 732-776-3307 or visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/en/Services/Neurosciences/Amyotrophic-Lateral-Sclerosis-ALS.
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