A new facility in East Brunswick brings advanced services to local neighborhoods.
Having grown up in the area, Genesis Jimenez knows how important and convenient it is that residents of East Brunswick and surrounding communities now have enhanced access to state-of-the-art children’s health services at a new 52,000-square-foot facility.
The recent opening of the RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group Pediatric Orthopedic and Specialty Services practice, in addition to a new Children’s Specialized Hospital (CSH) location, offers care for children facing special health care needs.
Among those children is Genesis’ daughter, Nyla Moreno. The toddler has two rare conditions that affect brain function or development. One, called lissencephaly or “smooth brain,” occurs when folds and bumps don’t develop on the brain’s surface. The other, called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, is a severe form of epilepsy that causes multiple types of seizures.
The new East Brunswick facility has become like a second home for the family, Genesis says. Three times a week, Nyla attends therapy at CSH, where Genesis says staff is attentive to her daughter and tuned in to cues that indicate an oncoming seizure.
Since starting therapy at CSH, Nyla has gained better head control, established better eye contact and tracking, started reaching and grabbing for toys, and worked on eating/feeding skills. Just as important, Genesis says, she and her fiancé have gained hope for Nyla’s future.
Focused on Needs
Leadership of RWJBarnabas Health, Children’s Specialized Hospital and The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital gather at the East Brunswick facility’s ribbon-cutting ceremony
The new facility, located at 645 State Route 18, provides infants through adolescents with innovative, expert care related to bone and muscular conditions, chronic illnesses and complex physical disabilities as well as developmental, behavioral and mental health concerns.
The facility’s recent ribbon-cutting isn’t “just about opening a new door for pediatric specialty care; it’s about strengthening our roots in Middlesex County and Central New Jersey, bringing world-class expertise and innovative technology closer to home,” says Mark E. Manigan, President and CEO of RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH). “We’re really proud of what we’re doing in children’s health. We have the most significant and extensive pediatric care network in the state of New Jersey. We continue to invest in it, and we will continue to grow it so that no one has to leave the state—and ideally no one has to leave their community—to get the best care for their kids.”
The pediatric orthopedic center offers care for children with spinal deformities, inflammatory and infectious problems, fractures, sports-related injuries and many other orthopedic issues.
CSH offers a wide range of medical and therapeutic rehabilitative services including physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, developmental behavioral pediatrics, physiatry and more.
“There are nearly 250,000 children living with a unique health care challenge across New Jersey. This facility will offer them a comprehensive range of services focused on their individual needs and will provide children and families in the region a supportive environment to receive expert, family-centered care,” says Matthew B. McDonald III, MD, President and CEO of CSH. “Sharing this space with our system partners not only allows us to enhance the availability of our specialized services for those who need them but also provides local families with access to a variety of medical services in one convenient location.”
High-Quality Care
The facility is strategically positioned along with other RWJBH locations in nearby communities to serve patients and families in Central Jersey. Both the new East Brunswick facility and the Anne Vogel Family Care and Wellness Center in Eatontown concentrate a wide range of services for women, children and families, including other pediatric specialties and CSH outpatient services.
Further demonstrating a commitment to high-quality health care, RWJBH children’s hospitals recently were named among the nation’s Best Children’s Hospitals for 2023-2024 by U.S. News & World Report, a global leader in quality rankings.
Additional pediatric services in partnership with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School will be added to the facility, including endocrinology, genetics, pulmonology and neurology.
Women will also soon have access to comprehensive breast health services with the opening of the RWJBarnabas Health/Rutgers Cancer Institute Breast Center and New Jersey Imaging Network. This addition continues RWJBH’s commitment to bringing the most advanced cancer care from New Jersey’s only NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center close to home. JAG Physical Therapy will also provide services at the new East Brunswick practice in the near future.
State-of-the-Art Imaging for Kids
Pediatric orthopedic services at the RWJBarnabas Health facility in East Brunswick are equipped with a cutting-edge system for radiographic imaging that’s especially beneficial for children.
Called EOSedge, the technology consists of a precise, low-dose system that provides full-body, high-quality images covering a full gamut of musculoskeletal and orthopedic examinations. The system’s innovative design minimizes radiation exposure while giving providers insights they need to make well-informed clinical decisions at each point of patient care.
Benefits for young patients include enhanced safety, faster diagnosis through clear and accurate images and improved comfort with a spacious cabin design that fosters a stress-free environment during imaging sessions.
Reducing radiation exposure is especially desirable in the growing bodies of children, says J. Andrew Bowe, MD, pediatric orthopedic surgeon with RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group and Medical Director, Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Compared with conventional X-rays, the EOSedge system reduces the amount of radiation by about 80 percent, he says.
“It also makes images clearer and diagnosis a bit easier,” Dr. Bowe adds. “It’s a wonderful machine, and I’m excited to have it in our new facility. We’re thrilled to welcome new and familiar families at East Brunswick and to continue providing the highest-quality orthopedic care in the neighborhood.”
Learn more about children's care at RWJBarnabas Health.
