Members of the CCIS care team gather outside in Monmouth Medical Center’s Gloria Nilson Garden of Reflection.
Long Branch, NJ, March 20, 2022 – Monmouth Medical Center’s (MMC) Children’s Crisis Intervention Services (CCIS) has successfully completed its 2022 re-designation survey following a New Jersey State Department of Children and Family’s Children’s System of Care (CSOC) inspection, with high praise from the site surveyor for the unit’s leadership and staff.
“Congratulations to Director of Patient Care Rebecca Dominguez and the entire CCIS team for the successful re-designation survey, and for their continued dedication and commitment to our young patients and their families,” said Stan Evanowski, Administrative Director of Behavioral Health. “CSOC was thrilled with our quality improvement projects, and the surveyor was ecstatic to see the much-needed improvement in our fresh air courtyard provided through the Gloria Nilson Garden of Reflection and is looking forward to seeing the results of our agriculture/garden group activities this spring.”
MMC held a ribbon-cutting dedication ceremony last fall to dedicate the Gloria Nilson Garden of Reflection in a secure courtyard adjacent to the hospital’s inpatient behavioral health units. Noting that the garden was previously not a welcoming space for behavioral health patients, he said it was revitalized and refreshed with the help of the Fireflies Council — an MMC Foundation group dedicating to raising funds for behavioral health services and spreading awareness for mental health wellness — and longtime MMC philanthropist Gloria Nilson and other generous donors.
“For our behavioral health patients, this area represents a space that will give them a break from the hospital setting while receiving treatment here,” he said. “Part of our patient-centered approach in caring for individuals is to provide them with quality time in this beautiful outdoor space to help them feel better. Research shows that patients respond positively to nature, plants, and to participating in the tasks of tending to a garden.”
MMC’s Children’s Crisis Intervention Services is the only state-designated program in Monmouth and Ocean counties that provides inpatient treatment for children and adolescents with acute emotional, behavioral or psychological problems.
The 19-bed unit provides care for children and adolescents age 5 to 17 residing in Monmouth and Ocean counties who have been screened for psychiatric admission through the hospital’s Psychiatric Emergency Screening Services (PESS). The PESS Unit includes a special room designated for pediatric patients.
The unit’s team of professionals treats children for a host of psychiatric conditions, including mood disorders such as major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder.
To learn more, visit rjwbh.org/Monmouth and choose behavioral health from the Treatment & Care menu.
CONTACT: Kathy Horan
(732) 546-6317
Kathy.Horan@rwjbh.org