MMCSC Shuttle
More convenient care
Generous donors are helping to enhance access to screening and treatment.
Medical care is more accessible than ever, thanks to the Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus (MMCSC) Foundation’s fundraising efforts. Here’s how patients will benefit:
• Free rides to appointments
It’s not always easy to find transportation to a medical appointment—especially if you need to return for follow-up visits. To help patients overcome this challenge, the MMCSC Foundation, MMCSC Auxiliary and Fountainview Care Center in Lakewood purchased a handicapped-accessible van. The first patient rode in the van in January. “We’d like to thank our community partner, Fountainview, and our Auxiliaries for their gifts,” says Denice Gaffney, Vice President, MMCSC Foundation. “Steven Friedman, Fountainview Chief Administrative Officer added, “By providing members in our community access to transportation for their medical appointments, MMCSC and Fountainview are playing a vital role in helping the geriatric population address their health in a proactive manner, so that they can remain as active and independent as possible.” Rides are scheduled based on need and availability at the time the appointment is made.
• Osteoporosis screening close to home
A member of the MMCSC Auxiliary donated funds for a new mobile screening machine that uses ultrasound to assess a patient’s risk of suffering a fracture related to osteoporosis, a dangerous thinning of the bones. Participants will be encouraged to share their test results with their physician, who may recommend a DEXA scan, the gold standard for measuring bone density.
Women who are 65 or older and men who are 70 or older are advised to have a screening test, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. People who break a bone after age 50 or have risk factors for osteoporosis should also be screened.
MMCSC health coaches will take the new machine on the road as part of their community health screenings, which are funded in part by the Ocean County Office of Senior Services. An estimated 150 to 200 bone density screenings will be performed this year. “We are proud to improve the health and well being of our seniors by increasing health education in our community,” says Gaffney. “These screenings are key to assessing patient risk and ultimately preventing disabling fractures.”
For more information about this and donor funded hospital projects contact the foundation at 732-886-4148.
