Behavioral Health Patients to Benefit from Expanded Music Program Thanks to Private Grant

Belle Mead’s Carrier Clinic the Beneficiary of $25,000 Grant from the Farris Foundation

Hackensack Meridian Carrier Clinic, a private, not-for-profit behavioral health care hospital specializing in psychiatric and addiction treatment, was the recipient of a private grant totalling $25,000 from the Farris Foundation to expand the hospital’s Music for Recovery program. Currently available to Carrier’s adolescent behavioral health residential patients, the influx of funding will enable the hospital to expand the program to adult patients who utilize outpatient addiction services at both Carrier Clinic’s Blake Recovery Center and The Retreat & Recovering At Ramapo Valley.

“We are grateful to the Farris Foundation for their generous gift that will enable us to offer this well established, evidenced-based, integrative program,” says Kenneth M. Esser, interim president and chief hospital executive of Carrier Clinic. “While music therapy is an important part of providing comprehensive care and support to patients struggling with mental health and substance use disorders, it is not reimbursable through insurance like traditional medical care. Therefore, support is needed from generous partners in order to continue providing this free service to patients.”

The goal of the program is to help patients slow down, become comfortable with gradual improvements and begin to relax about making mistakes, ultimately hoping to see an 80% reduction in stress and anxiety and an increase in hope, happiness and confidence in building a sober future.

Activities included in the Music for Recovery program include:

• Group songwriting
• Recovery concerts
• Instrumental music lessons
• Performance coaching
• Lyric analysis and creating recovery/mental health playlists
• Other music-based activities such as DJing

“Music has a unique ability to reduce stress and promote relaxation, creating a therapeutic environment that can ease the challenges of recovery,” says Michele Scasserra, director of Substance Use Counseling Services at Blake Recovery Center. “Participating in musical activities also adds an element of fun to the recovery process, providing patients with a positive outlet for expression and a break from the more intense aspects of treatment, while helping patients find new ways to connect with their emotions, build resilience and strengthen their commitment to sobriety.”

Each year, Blake Recovery Center, a substance use disorder treatment program offering inpatient detox and residential services, as well as intensive outpatient services, treats 2,400 adult patients annually, and the Retreat & Recovery At Ramapy Valley, which opened its doors in 2022 as an outpatient addiction treatment center located in Mahwah, NJ, saw more than 1,800 visits.

“This program is changing lives,” says Joyce P. Hendricks, president and chief development officer of Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation. “On behalf of the hundreds of patients who will benefit from this innovative and effective program, thank you, Farris Foundation, for your belief in our efforts and for recognizing the profound impact that Music for Recovery can have to inspire change.”

This grant brings Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation, which raises funds for Carrier Clinic and behavioral health services throughout Hackensack Meridian Health, one step closer to its $1 billion fundraising goal as part of its Be The Difference campaign, the largest fundraising campaign ever undertaken by a health care network in New Jersey.

Launched in September 2024, Be The Difference is a transformational effort focusing on four key pillars: enhancing the delivery of patient care, accelerating groundbreaking research and discovery, expanding equitable access to advanced care and revolutionizing medical education while supporting the nursing profession. Through this ambitious initiative, Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation aims to reshape health care for patients, clinicians and the diverse communities it serves, paving the way for a brighter, healthier future.

To learn more about Carrier Clinic’s Music for Recovery Program or to make a gift in support of Carrier Clinic, please visit GiveHMH.org/CarrierClinic or contact Michael Loch, director of development for Carrier Clinic, at michael.loch@hmhn.org.

Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3), is the philanthropic division of Hackensack Meridian Health, a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. The foundation oversees fundraising for the network’s three academic medical centers, two children’s hospitals and seven community-based medical center foundations, as well as key initiatives, programs and services offered by Hackensack Meridian Health, including nursing support, behavioral health, children’s health, Hackensack Meridian Health’s Center for Discovery & Innovation and Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.

Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation has been designated as both a High Performer Overall and Healthcare System High Performer by the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP) within their 2023 Report on Giving.

In September 2024, Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation publicly launched its Be The Difference campaign, a one billion dollar fundraising initiative built upon four pillars, each designed to support Hackensack Meridian Health’s vision for New Jersey, including better delivery of patient care; revolutionizing medical education and supporting the nursing profession; accelerating research and discovery; and ensuring more equitable access to advanced care. To learn more about the campaign, visit HMHBeTheDifference.org. To make a gift in support of Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation, visit GiveHMH.org/Donate.

Carrier Clinic, which opened in 1910 and is located in Somerset County, is the largest not-for profit behavioral health hospital and a leader in the treatment of adolescents aged 12 and older with psychiatric, co-occurring disorders, and substance use disorder through its 36-bed inpatient acute hospital unit, intensive residential services program, residential treatment center, psychiatric community homes, and the East Mountain School. Carrier Clinic’s campus includes the Blake Recovery Center, a free-standing, state-licensed residential alcohol and substance use disorder treatment program. The Blake program, ranked No. 1 by Newsweek Magazine on its 2024 list of Best Addiction Treatment Centers in New Jersey, provides medically monitored detoxification and residential rehabilitation care for individuals suffering from drug and alcohol addiction that may include psychiatric complications. To learn more about Carrier Clinic, click here.