By: Abigail Twiford, Follow South Jersey Intern
WESTVILLE, N.J. — St. John of God Community Services has introduced a new clinic to their already existing list of operations.
The St. John of God Clinic, located in Westville, provides support and healthcare to adults throughout all of Gloucester, Salem and Camden counties, as well as servicing Southwestern Burlington and Northern Cumberland counties.
Currently, the clinic offers three different types of care for disabled individuals, including day habilitation, therapeutic recreation and support coordination.
The largest of the three is the day habilitation program, which is called House of John. The program is run for developmentally disabled individuals aged 21 years and older and consists of four different classrooms that run everyday from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Transportation is provided for those in the program as well.
Individuals served by House of John get access to exercise equipment, community events and outings, pet therapy and learning applications installed on the campus’s iPads and SMART Boards. Some staff members have also been specially trained to support high level medical needs, if necessary for specific clients.
Due to limited resources, there is currently a waitlist for new clients of House of John, though the center plans to open four more classrooms in the future.
Zachary Cooper is the senior executive of communications and marketing at the community services center.
“We actually have a waiting list for clients to get into our House of John program. But unfortunately, staffing is a big issue… we have a huge waiting list, and we’re trying to get as many people in as we can for the house of John clients,” said Cooper.
Plans to expand go beyond entering more clients into House of John, with new programs already announced and set to be introduced within the next two years.
Alyssa Russell, director of clinical operations, said that while St. John of God is similar to other available programs, families and clients feel safe with their facilities, specially trained staff and friendly atmosphere.
Three of the programs that have already been announced are home care, respite care and community based supports, which will help not only the disabled individuals themselves, but their families as well, aiding in independent living, necessary therapies and allowing for breaks for familial caregivers.
One of the other currently available services, adult therapeutic recreation, is open to the broader community, though the activities are specifically tailored to those with special needs. Activities include arts, crafts, cooking, exercise and trips.
The other currently available program is support coordination, which serves as an assistance and management program to help those with developmental and intellectual disabilities work through support systems, create personalized plans and access the resources they need.
For more information, reach out to Alyssa Russell, director of clinical operations at St. John of God NEW! St. John of God Clinic | www.sjogcs.org.
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