I am an 18-year employee of Monmouth County, and I work at the John L. Montgomery Care Center in Freehold Township. We are a long-term care facility that takes care of Monmouth County’s most vulnerable young citizens. There are 62 residents under the age of 59. Currently, our youngest resident is just 17 years old.
I mention the age of our population because several recent newspaper articles have pointed out how many empty Medicaid beds are available in other private Monmouth County nursing homes that our residents could easily be transferred to should Freeholder John Curley succeed in closing, selling or privatizing the John L. Montgomery Care Center.
These “typical” other private nursing homes are perfectly fine for your average geriatric residents, but are not suitable alternatives for residents of John L. Montgomery. Our residents are in their teens, 20’s, 30’s and 40’s who are not grandparents or your elderly parents, but they are your children, your brothers and your sisters.
They are not looking to reflect on their lives, but looking to live their lives to the fullest with the possibility of new experiences, friendships and futures. That is what Monmouth County provides its citizens with at the five-star rated John L. Montgomery Care Center.
I believe the Monmouth County freeholders, and especially Freeholder Curley who is our leader and liaison, should take pride in the wonderful care they offer their most vulnerable Monmouth County citizens.
But instead, dedicated and passionate care center employees and family members are berated at freeholder meetings and articles are written that destroy any chance of increasing our census, which would improve our fiscal situation.
Ask yourselves why a five-star nursing home is struggling to fill beds. The answer is clear … Can you imagine what it would be like to be a 17-year-old living in a facility with peers who are in their 70’s, 80’s and 90’s? What kind of quality of life would that be?
I can assure you there are no other nearby Monmouth County private facilities that can meet the needs and offer the services we provide our young residents. We have a state-ofthe art adapted computer lab open seven days a week and every holiday. We assist our residents with further education, many of whom attend or have graduated from local colleges.
Our residents edit and publish a monthly newsletter available on-line. They are very involved in community life — taking trips to concerts, Atlantic City, football games, beaches, and attending Monmouth County political events such as freeholder meetings. Our residents are also published artists, authors and poets who compete in local literary and art contests. These services are not offered, provided, or available in other local “typical” nursing homes because this population is unique, dynamic and completely different than other facilities.
The taxpayers of Monmouth County and the freeholders should take pride in the fact they take care of their most vulnerable citizens in the manner they do. Then they should advertise this fact and not close or privatize John L. Montgomery.
I completely understand that the care centers are currently not making the county money and have not been for the past few years and I am certainly not minimizing this fact, but in all reality, many other Monmouth County departments do not make the county money, either. Do the parks and library systems make Monmouth County money?
When it only costs the average county resident $2 to $4 a month to fund the care centers and provide services to our citizens, shouldn’t we do it?
How can you, in good conscience, not? And why are we not yelling from the rafters, “Hey, we are Monmouth County and not only do we provide our taxpayers with the best park system, one of the greatest library systems, and a wonderful law enforcement department, but we also have a heart and provide our sick, injured and disabled citizens a home like no other county in the state.”
My God, why are we yelling and calling our passionate/caring county employees derogatory names at freeholder meetings when we are only making suggestions about how to raise money and encourage freeholders to explore other options and ways to keep John L. Montgomery as it is — a wonderful additional service to Monmouth County taxpayers, available if, God forbid, they need us. What we really should be doing is praising the staff for their dedication and sacrifice.
In conclusion, I would say the continual articles and recent freeholder meetings have left me speechless, however, this letter proves me wrong. I believe what I really am is disappointed and tired, but I assure you that my co-workers and I have not stopped fighting for the residents, staff and family that is the John L. Montgomery Care Center.
Jennifer Gregory, CTRS, is the director of therapeutic recreation at the John L. Montgomery Care Center, Freehold Township.