CAPTION: Retired nurse Terry Ullmann, Tinton Falls, particularly enjoys the cooking demonstrations and movement classes offered through Monmouth Medical Center’s LiveWell Center. She is shown with the center’s registered dietitian Jennifer Klein.
Long Branch, NJ, May 23, 2024 - Monmouth Medical Center’s (MMC) LiveWell Center at the Anne Vogel Family Care and Wellness Center in Eatontown is a hub for all things wellness for community members of any age.
Celebrating its second anniversary this month, the LiveWell Center offered nearly 400 programs that served more than 6,500 individuals from 96 communities in Monmouth and Ocean counties and 16 towns outside of the region through year’s end 2023. Among the most active of those individuals is Tinton Falls resident Terry Ullmann, a retired nurse who participates in as many as three LiveWell Center programs a week.
Terry, whose expansive nursing career included working as both a pediatric and neonatal intensive care nurse at MMC and tenures in public health and school nursing, took her first class at the LiveWell Center in August of 2022 after seeing information on the MMC Web site. She’s been hooked ever since, noting she particularly enjoys the cooking and movement classes.
“From my very first class I found I really liked coming here – they do a wonderful job and I’ve never walked in when I wasn’t greeted with a smile,” said Terry, who grew up in Bayonne and moved to Monmouth County more than 50 years ago. “I’m not one that talks much, but I’ve made friends here; there is such great camaraderie and the community they’ve created is fantastic. From the support groups, to the programs for babies and toddlers and teens to get them excited about healthy eating – I love being a part of something that is truly for all age groups.”
With an emphasis on education, the LiveWell Center offers free workshops on nutrition, chronic diseases (e.g. heart disease, cancer, overweight/obesity, diabetes), childbirth and postpartum, and mental health. Run by a Registered Dietitian, the Center’s Dorothea and Jon Bon Jovi Nutrition Education Programming in the state-of-the-art WEforum Demonstration Kitchen is dedicated to supporting the community members in their healthy eating journey. Programs include Baby’s First Foods, Kids Snack Time and Cooking, Nutrition for Teens and Adult Cooking Demonstrations and Cook-alongs. Health education programs, support groups, and gentle movement classes run in classroom style spaces, with most programs offered on a hybrid basis, allowing individuals to attend in-person or virtually.
“Our programs focus on preventing chronic diseases and helping those with a diagnosis make behavior changes that can help them live a healthier life,” says Abby Thompson, MPH, CHES, Regional Program Director, Community Health and Social Impact & Community Investment. “Delivered by clinical experts and health educators, our health and nutrition programs focus on education and skill building. Programs are data-driven and tailored to meet the needs of individuals at every age and stage of life. We also place a focus on reaching underserved and vulnerable populations. We strive to connect community members to needed healthcare services in their community, and work beyond the walls of this center and our hospital to be embed ourselves in the communities we serve.”
Additionally, a variety of support groups are offered including those for caregiver, bereavement, tobacco and nicotine recovery cessation, stroke, oncology, breastfeeding, and nutrition support. Programs are free and open to all members of the community, with no insurance required.
For a complete listing of all monthly programs at the LiveWell Center, visit rwjbh.org/mmccalendar.
Contact:
Kathy Horan732-546-6317
Kathy.Horan@rwjbh.org
.