Local Basketball Team Delivers Holiday Toys to Pediatric Patients at Monmouth Medical Center

Members of the boys’ basketball team from Forrestdale Middle School in Rumson recently collected and delivered more than 200 toys — along with some holiday cheer — to patients at Monmouth Medical Center’s Pediatric Orthopaedic Clinic and The Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center.

“We are very proud of this group of young men,” said Rob Patton, vice chair of the Monmouth Medical Center Foundation Board of Trustees, whose son plays on the Forrestdale team and participated in the toy drive.

“They have embraced the importance of giving back and recognize the value of philanthropy in living fulfilling lives,” added Patton, who coordinated the drive with his wife, Kathryn. “The smiles and tears of joy of which they were a part will stay with them always. It was a humbling day for me as both a board member and father.”

Monmouth Medical Center’s Pediatric Orthopaedic Clinic treats children with bone fractures, scoliosis, cerebral palsy, in-toeing, and bow-leggedness. The program also treats babies with hip dysplasia, a malformation of the hip joint. In 2016, the clinic logged 585 patient visits.

“We are immensely appreciative of the Forrestdale students, their coach, and all of our benefactors in the community,” said Sue Porter, RN, BSN, BC, clinical director of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Clinic. “The children are so grateful for the gifts, which they may have not received otherwise.”

For more information on the Pediatric Orthopedic Clinic and The Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, please call 888-724-7123.

PHOTO CAPTION:

The Forrestdale Boys’ Basketball Teams during their holiday visit to Monmouth Medical Center’s Pediatric Orthopaedic Clinic and The Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center. Pictured with the team, from left: Rob Patton, Coach John Bellavance, Chris Plakas, MD, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Monmouth Medical Center.

About Monmouth Medical Center

Located in Long Branch, N.J., Monmouth Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, along with The Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center, is one of New Jersey's largest academic medical centers and has been a teaching affiliate of Philadelphia’s Drexel University College of Medicine for more than 40 years. From its earliest days, Monmouth Medical Center has been a leader in surgical advancement and has introduced many technological firsts to the region, including robotic surgery and other minimally invasive techniques. Monmouth Medical Center is the only hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties to consistently receive an “A” Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit organization of employer purchasers of health care and the nation’s leading experts on patient safety. It is one of eight New Jersey hospitals to receive a four-star rating from The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the highest hospital rating in the state.