By PETE FONTAINE Excitement was bubbling inside Cherry Hill Manor on a recent Friday morning.
Mayor Joseph Polisena joined local dignitaries and invited guests who, along with Cherry Hill Manor (CHM) staffers, filled the well-appointed main lobby for one of the proudest moments in Cherry Hill Manor’s 39-year history.
Polisena noted, “This place has been a staple in our community for many, many years,” as the gathering marked the grand opening of a new and colorful rehabilitation area.
The ambitious in-house construction project completely renovated and transformed the rehabilitation area into a state-of-the-art facility, replete with a kitchen, bathroom and laundry. The space will enable therapists to work with the patients on functional tasks and help them reach their highest independent potential before they return to their homes.
“This place is beautiful…fabulous,” Polisena said while looking over the 1,600-square-foot area that was completely gutted and transformed by the Pasquale Simone-led CHM maintenance staff. “Congratulations to Pat and his staff for all their great work on what is now obviously a start-of-the-art facility for all rehabilitation patients.”
The mayor, who performed the rehab room’s ribbon-cutting, toasted Simone as well as CHM’s skilled technician team of Tony Fagundo, Alex Simone and Harry Scaramuzzi Jr. He said the renovation speaks volumes about the many talented people who are employed at Cherry Hill Manor.
In the middle of the event was Ellen Lang, M.S., OTR/L who serves as CHM’s Director of Rehabilitation Services. Lang has been at CHM for six years and oversees a therapy department of around 18 full-time physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists who provide therapy seven days a week to short- and long-term residents at Cherry Hill. Lang served as the day’s official host and emcee. “We welcome everyone for this special ceremony,” she said, while also explaining that “unfortunately our great administrator Katie Gerber is unable to be here because of an off-site meeting.”
Lang thanked Gerber “for helping to make this dream a reality” while also praising “Pat [Simone] and the entire maintenance team for all of the hard work they put into making this space so wonderful.” As Polisena accepted the scissors, he said that he and Dr. Vincent F. Vacca, the official physician onsite, “go way back” and emphasized “that you couldn’t find a better nurse anywhere than Carol Perfetto,” CHM’s marketing liaison.
Lang explained that a great deal of time went into designing this space with the patients in mind because Cherry Hill is dedicated to helping patients achieve their highest potential. “I am so happy to report that the department of health has just completed its yearly survey and declared us deficiency free, a huge achievement for the entire building.”
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