The Unterberg Children’s Hospital at MMC offers unrivaled services

Rotary Roundup by Mike Ciavolino
Despite the occasional hurricane, living at the Jersey Shore has many blessings for all of us.
One of the greatest blessings of all is to have The Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center right here in Long Branch. Taking a child to the hospital for any reason can be a nightmare for parents and caregivers.

DOCTORS IN THE HOUSE — Dr. Neelam Sell (left) and Dr. Meg Fisher (right) receive the thanks for their excellent presentation from Club President Mika Hon.

But families can also take comfort in having a state-of-the-art world-class hospital for children so close to home should they need care.
In an informative presentation, Dr Meg Fisher, Medical Director, and Dr. Neelam Sell, a specialist in Pediatric Developmental Behavior, spoke to our Club at last Friday’s meeting about the Hospital and its services.
“At The Underberg Childrens Hospital we feel that family-centered health is the only way to take care of patients.” said Dr. Fisher.  “Who better than the child’s parents to know the child? Illness and success in dealing with it must include family, including siblings.”
As a highly regarded pediatrician amongst her peers nation-wide and current Chair of the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section of Infectious Diseases and twice a member of the Committee of Infectious Diseases (Red Book Committee), Dr. Fisher helps establish national guidelines and standards for quality health care for children and adolescents.
This quality of care is evident in The Children’s Hospital standing as a member of the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI), an organization that serves as a collective voice for health systems devoted to the health and well-being of children, no matter how sick or poor.
Dr. Fisher was recently named as a New Jersey “Top Doc” in the area of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.
Dr Sell also spoke to the club about her area of expertise, developmental and behavioral pediatrics and Autism Spectrum disorders as part of the Pediatric Neurology and Pediatric Developmental Behavioral Medicine team at the Hospital.
“The most important thing a parent can have is an official diagnosis as to whether or not their child is on the Autism Spectrum,” said Dr. Sell. “In this way, their family can begin the path of care, which may include behavioral therapy and other therapies, education and resources specific to their child’s needs.”
In January 2006, Monmouth Medical Center was licensed by New Jersey as an official children’s hospital for Monmouth and Ocean counties. This meant not a new building, but a new recognition of a long-demonstrated strength. More than four decades ago, Monmouth established a pattern of exceptional pediatric health care, becoming the first hospital in New Jersey to open a Level III neonatal intensive care unit.
Today that pattern continues as Monmouth offers the community the renowned medical expertise in the care of children that only a leading academic medical center can provide, with 140 pediatric specialists in 26 fields of medicine. Monmouth Medical Center has been affiliated with Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia since 1969, and has grown today to be Drexel’s largest major academic medical affiliate in New Jersey.

Rotary 50-50 raffle tickets:
Get yours today!
It’s the Club’s first ever 50-50 raffle so get your tickets while they last! They’re only 10 bucks and first prize is $2,500! There will also be 2nd and 3rd prizes so don’t miss out. The drawing is December 13 at the Club’s weekly meeting and winners need not be present. See any Club member for your ticket and chance to win. A portion of the proceeds of the raffle will go towards the purchase of a Shelter Box for disaster relief.
Each green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster, but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items.

Long Branch Public Library Champions Dinner
This year’s Library Champion’s Diner honors five outstanding individuals for their efforts in supporting and advocating for the Library including our own Club Member, Al Pescoe. Congratulations Al! Other honorees are Dr. Mary Jane Celli, Ms. Victoria Cattelona, Ms. Ruchi Asthana and Ms. Shirley Goldenberg.
The date of the dinner is Thursday, October 24 at 6 p.m. at Branches Catering, 123 Monmouth Rd. in West Long Branch. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased by contacting Kate Angelo at the Library at 732-222-3900.

A correction from last
week’s column
Last week we incorrectly spelled the name of the Brazilian city where our newest member, Adalberto Demelo hails from. It is spelled “Tiros” but pronounced “Chiros.” Rotary Round Up regrets the error and we wanted to take a moment to correct it.

Come join us at our
next meeting!
The next meeting of our Club will be Friday, October 11 at the beautiful Rooney’s Oceanfront Restaurant in Long Branch.
Want to attend? Simply give us a call at (641) 715-3900 Ext #716992 to make a reservation or pay $20 lunch fee at the door. For more information, visit us at www.longbranchrotary.org
Wondering what Rotary International and the Rotary Club of Long Branch is all about? Rotary’s 1.2 million members worldwide believe that helping to change the world starts with a personal commitment to “Service Above Self.”  In more than 34,000 clubs worldwide, you’ll find members volunteering in communities at home and abroad to support education and job training, provide clean water, combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, and eradicate polio.