Dr. Robert H. and Mary Ellen Harris Epilepsy Monitoring Unit Opens at HMJSUMC   

Dr. Robert H. and Mary Ellen Harris Epilepsy Monitoring Unit Opens at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center

Members of the Epilepsy and Seizure Disorder Program

Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Jersey Shore University Medical Center recently opened the new Dr. Robert H. and Mary Ellen Harris Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, part of the academic medical center’s comprehensive Epilepsy and Seizure Disorder Program. The opening was made possible due to the extraordinary generosity of Mrs. Harris and the Golden Dome Foundation. The Program offers specialized evaluation and treatment for adults with all types of seizure disorders and access to a team of epilepsy experts who provide advanced surgical, nonsurgical, and supportive therapies.

According to the Epilepsy Foundation, epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder in the world affecting about 50 million people and causing them to have recurrent, unprovoked seizures. Seizures are brief episodes of involuntary movement that can affect the entire body or just part of it. They can also cause loss of consciousness and control of bladder or bowel function, among other disorders.

The new patient monitoring unit is part of Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s (JSUMC) Laboratory Accreditation Board of ABRET-accredited electroencephalogram (EEG) lab and includes four dedicated, private rooms. EEG is a medical test that measures the electrical activity of the brain and is used to diagnose epilepsy, sleep disorders, and brain tumors. “The unit is a wonderful addition to our services and interprofessional team of specialists; neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, EEG technologists, neuroscience nurses, speech pathologists, and social workers, and greatly benefits our patients,” said Arun R. Antony, M.D., director, Epilepsy and Seizure Disorder Program, JSUMC.

These specialists include; Shabbar Danish, M.D., FAANS, chair, neurosurgery, JSUMC; Rajesh Sachdeo, M.D., senior epileptologist; Rahul Guha, M.D., epileptologist; Jasdeep Hundal, Psy.D, neuropsychologist; Catherine Atkins, Ph.D; Dana Dolce, AGACNP, BC, Neuromodulation Program Manager; Ruby Gallipani, R.N., MHA, Epilepsy Clinical advocate; Elise A. Miller, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, Epilepsy nurse practitioner, and Leanne Matthews, R.EEG T., MBA, Regional Neurodiagnostic manager.

Specifically designed for adults, the rooms are equipped with the latest technologies, including ceiling-mounted cameras and EEG machines, allowing for close monitoring, accurate epilepsy diagnosis and identification of the area of the brain where seizures are originating.

“With our Epilepsy and Seizure Disorder Program’s team of expert epilepsy specialists, leading-edge clinical technologies, and convenient, streamlined care environment, our community doesn’t not have to travel far to receive the best care for seizure disorders,” said Vito Buccellato, MPA, LNHA, president and chief hospital executive, JSUMC.

Patients with epilepsy that has not responded to medication have access to a full range of advanced neurosurgical treatment options, including:

  • Focal Resection
  • Hemispherectomy and hemispherotomy
  • Corpus callosotomy
  • Stereotactic radiosurgery
  • Neurostimulator implantation, such as vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), responsive neurostimulation (RNS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS)
  • Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT)

In addition to the epilepsy program, The Neuroscience Institute at JSUMC is home to specialists in numerous neurological diseases and conditions. They provide diagnostic, medical and surgical treatments at JSUMC for multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke, essential tremor and other movement disorders, pediatric neurology, headaches and migraines, sleep medicine and neuro-oncology, among others. “In recent years the neuroscience institute at Jersey Shore has gained experts in a variety of neurological conditions, added the latest treatment technologies like the first-in-world ZAP-X Gyroscopic Radiosurgery platform combined with Synaptive MRI, and new patient care space, creating a truly complete, comprehensive program,” said Kenneth N. Sable, M.D., MBA, FACEP, regional president, Southern Market, Hackensack Meridian Health.

Neuroscience services also include the Center for Memory and Healthy Aging, Center for Treatment of Paralysis and Reconstructive Nerve Surgery, Center for Advanced Skull Base Surgery, the Craniofacial Center, which is certified as an American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association, and a General Neurosurgery Program, including spine surgery.

For more information or to schedule an appointment with the Epilepsy and Seizure Disorder Program, call 732-897-3600 or visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/en/services/neurosciences/epilepsy-and-seizure-disorders

For a free physician referral, call 844-HMH-WELL. Similar epilepsy monitoring units are located at Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Hackensack University Medical Center and JFK University Medical Center.

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