PLAINSBORO: Healthcare campus open

Merwick care center holds ribbon cutting as first facility at Plainsboro site

By Allison Musante, Staff Writer
   PLAINSBORO — It’s official — Merwick Care and Rehabilitation Center became the first facility of the new healthcare campus to open its doors, after a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday morning at the site on Plainsboro Road.
   Windsor Healthcare, the owners of the new facility, welcomed dozens of local officials, members of the medical community, Merwick residents and staff, and other guests to tour the 200-bed long-term and short-term care center. Opening remarks were given by Hyman Jacobs, CEO and president of Windsor Healthcare, Mayor Peter Cantu, Assemblyman Dan Benson, Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes, and Barry Rabner, president of Princeton Healthcare System.
   Mayor Cantu said the opening marks the realization of the redevelopment plan for the medical campus.
   ”When it’s all complete, it’ll form one of the premier medical facilities in the state and in our region,” he said. “We’re proud of the role this facility will play when the medical center comes to life.”
   All residents and employees from Merwick’s former location in Princeton have moved to the new location, which offers care to 120 long-term and 80 short-term residents. About 160 employees are overseeing 100 residents, but Merwick intends to hire up to 140 new employees by the time the facility reaches capacity.
   The 80-bed sub-acute rehabilitation wing — the Luxor Pavilion — provides rehabilitative services designed to restore strength, rebuild skills, and resume activities of daily life for patients recovering from orthopedic surgery or joint replacement surgeries, said Michael Jacobs, vice president of Windsor Healthcare. Its services will be housed in a 3,500-square-foot gym containing weight machines, other exercise equipment, and two Nintendo Wii stations for “Wii-habilitation,” in which patients use the video game remote to simulate motions, such as swinging a baseball bat.
   Other short-term services will help residents with pain management, nutritional counseling, education about lifestyle changes, creating individual home exercise programs, and case management and discharge planning, including ordering mobility and adaptive devices. Physical therapy and occupational therapy will be offered up to seven days a week.
   Still to come is a 12-station dialysis unit for inpatient and outpatient treatment. The unit, which will employ about 40 additional staff members, will provide an on-site convenience that not many nursing facilities do. It will be operated by a separate entity, but Merwick hasn’t decided who will run the unit yet, said Matt Reilly, Windsor Healthcare spokesman.
   ”Normally the patients have to leave the nursing center for dialysis and it’s such a hassle, but it’s right here for our residents,” Mr. Reilly said.
   Families are encouraged to participate in the recovery of their loved ones in rehabilitation, Michael Jacobs said. In an assisted daily living unit, family members can stay with the patient in a private apartment of connected bedrooms and a bathroom.
   ”Families of our rehab patients can stay to help their family member learn what the barriers are and how to use the equipment,” said Dawn Rice, the center’s admissions director.
   The facility’s 120-bed long-term care wing will provide personal care for people who cannot live independently in their homes. They will have access to the facility’s rehab services and all other amenities.
   A “person-centered” approach is central to the facility’s operation and design, Hyman Jacobs said. Angled walls create comfort, social spaces and privacy throughout the facility. In each room, angled outside walls allow residents to have a full view through the window as well as the television from their beds. Instead of straight corridors, the angular positioning of room doors creates privacy and seating areas for socializing.
   Social nooks or “neighborhoods” is a central element of the building’s design, according to chief designer Scott Hoffman, of the Design Ideas Group architecture firm in New Brunswick. Mr. Hoffman was formerly with RMJM Architects of Princeton, the medical center’s designer.
   ”The main goal was to de-institutionalize your traditional nursing home,” he said. “The common areas and the natural light will be energizing to the residents. This facility is truly cutting edge and more medical facilities are trying to get away from the traditional look, and I think you’ll see more of this style in the future.”
   The center will overlook a 35-acre public park, including bike and walking paths, gazebos, and benches. The township is in the process of building the park and demolishing the former buildings on site.
   Other amenities include libraries, a movie theater, massage service, hair salon, a communal family room with fireplace, and a private room that residents may reserve for special occasions, such as birthday parties.
   Assemblyman Dan Benson, who was sworn in on Monday to represent the 14th District, lauded the facility as an asset to the region.
   ”I can think of no more a fitting place than to begin my service to the district than being here at this facility today,” Mr. Benson said.
   The center has applied for LEED certification — Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Michael Jacobs said much of the building materials were locally sourced, and the oversized windows welcome natural light into the facility, reducing dependency on artificial light. In each room, an electronic curtain allows residents to heat the air directly above their beds, reducing wasted energy from heating the entire room.
   Amy Rabner, Mr. Rabner’s wife, said after touring the facility, the attention to detail and emphasis on home qualities sets it apart from the old Merwick location in Princeton.
   ”It’s an amazing facility and it will make a huge difference to those who spend time here and live here,” she said.
   Speaking as a former orderly, Mr. Rabner said he values the quality of patient care, above all.”It’s not an easy service to provide, and you need not only the knowledge but the values to balance the day-to-day business pressures with the needs of the residents,” he said. He added that the opening of Merwick will set the tone for the other facilities still to come to the campus, including a fitness and wellness center, a senior residential community, a health education center, and pediatric services of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
   ”When it’s all done, we will have one of the most comprehensive medical centers in the country,” he said.
   The center, located just off Route 1 at 100 Plainsboro Road, is accessible by Middlesex County Area Transit’s new M6 shuttle bus service, connecting Plainsboro with Cranbury and Jamesburg, and New Jersey Transit’s No. 600 bus in Mercer County.