Lake Street Dive lead singer Rachael Price shares a special moment with baby Rafael and his parents, Clarisse Mendoza and Rommel Martinez, during a special Patient Experience Meet and Greet at the Stone Pony courtesy of Prudential presents North to Shore Festival.
Long Branch, NJ, June 20, 2024 – Adjusting to the birth of a baby can be challenging, but for new mom Clarisse Mendoza, Bradley Beach, the RWJBarnabas Health Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders Center has made a world of difference.
Clarisse, mother to 7-month-old Rafael Martinez, is among the 200 patients who each week seek care at the center located at the Anne Vogel Family Care & Wellness Center in Eatontown. Last month she celebrated her first Mother’s Day by sharing her story of hope in the Asbury Park Press to let others in her shoes know they are not alone — and help is not far away.
Since December, she has come to the center three days a week, attending individual and group therapy and special classes, sometimes accompanied by her partner Rommel Martinez.
As a part of RWJBarnabas Health’s sponsorship of the second annual Prudential presents North to Shore Festival, produced by NJPAC, Clarisse was treated to a special meet-and-greet patient experience with multi-genre band Lake Street Dive at the Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park on June 14.
Clarisse, accompanied by Rommel and baby Rafael, got to meet with members of the band at the famed Jersey shore venue. Although the show was ultimately postponed due to inclement weather, Clarisse and lead singer Rachael Price, also a recent first-time mom, formed an immediate bond, sharing cuddles with Rafael.
“Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders affect one in five women during pregnancy or the first year after giving birth with symptoms that range from mild to severe,” says Lisa Tremayne, Program Director, RWJBarnabas Health Center for Perinatal Mood an Anxiety Disorders. “Caused by changes in biology, psychology, hormones and the environment, it is the No. 1 most common complication of childbirth, but it is temporary and treatable.”
The Center for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, which has a second location at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, offers programs addressing many different topics and helps women to understand that they are not alone, they are not to blame, and with help, they can get well. Patients are supported by a multidisciplinary team of experts from psychiatry, nursing and social work. All clinicians are certified by Postpartum Support International.
On June 18th, Lisa shared her expert insight during a panel discussion presented through the Prudential presents North to Shore Festival’s virtual panel, titled “Harmonizing Health: The Transformative Power of Arts in Maternal Well-Being.” Hosted by N.J. First Lady Tammy Murphy, the program explored how creative engagement fosters resilience, self-expression and emotional healing throughout the journey of motherhood. The session is available online: https://www.facebook.com/NJPAC/videos/994963802180374/
To learn more about the PMAD center, call 732-923-5573, text 862-438-7558, or visit rwjbh.org/PMAD. To learn more about the 2024 Prudential presents North to Shore Festival, visit northtoshore.com.
About Monmouth Medical Center
Monmouth Medical Center (MMC), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, along with The Unterberg Children’s Hospital, is a regional teaching campus for Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. As the first hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties, MMC offers the most experienced surgeons in robotics and other minimally invasive procedures as well as bariatric and joint and spine surgery. MMC delivers more babies annually than all other hospitals in Monmouth and Ocean counties combined. The hospital offers access to the region’s top cardiologists and the award-winning, nationally recognized RWJBarnabas Heart Centers. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has conferred Magnet® recognition for MMC, one of just 509 U.S. health care organizations out of more than 6,300 U.S. hospitals to achieve Magnet recognition. MMC has received more “A” Hospital Safety Scores from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit organization, than any other hospital in the region. The hospital has also been named a Leapfrog Top Teaching Hospital three times. MMC is one of just 414 of the more than 6,000 hospital hospitals in the U.S. named to Newsweek's Global Best Hospitals' list for three consecutive years, and one of 148 U.S. hospitals named to the digital platform Money’s inaugural list of the Best Hospitals in America. Additionally, it is one of 34 U.S. hospitals honored by the Emergency Nurses Association with the 2022–2025 Lantern Award for excellence in emergency care, and for the eighth consecutive year, was honored by Healthgrades with the Obstetrics and Gynecology and Labor and Delivery Excellence Awards. U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice, has recognized MMC among the 2023-2024 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care, which identifies hospitals that provide high-quality maternity care for uncomplicated pregnancies. RWJBarnabas Health and MMC, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey — the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center — brings a world class team of researchers and specialists to fight alongside patients, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials.
Contact:
Kathy HoranKathy.Horan@rwjbh.org