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Celebrating the opening of the Thomas Glasser Caregivers Center at Overlook Medical Center were: Overlook Chief Nursing Officer Mary Pat Sullivan and President Alan Lieber, Gerry Glasser, Meg Glasser, Claude Fusco, and Overlook’s Sue Thomas and Lydia Nadeau, who oversaw planning for the center. In the foreground, Dylan and Luke Glasser, sons of the late Thomas Glasser, prepare to cut the ribbon.
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Friends of Overlook Medical Center gathered on June 23 to dedicate the newly completed Thomas Glasser Caregivers Center at Overlook, designed to help caregivers effectively manage the stress and special needs associated with caring for a critically, chronically or terminally ill loved one.
Located off the main lobby of the hospital, the center will blend bedside social support services for caregivers with a tranquil space for rest, therapeutic services and resource referrals. The program will provide emotional support and encouragement to caregivers as they navigate health care services for their loved ones.
Relaxation therapies such as massage, guided meditation, gentle touch therapy, reiki and pet visitation will all enhance the experience in the center, which also features dedicated areas for counseling and private discussions, as well as a kitchenette and computers for caregivers to check email and conduct online research.
Westfield resident Claude Fusco presented the idea of a caregivers center to Overlook Medical Center and Overlook Foundation administrators following the death of his wife, Kathryn, from lung cancer in 2006. The lead gift for the project came from the Thomas Glasser Foundation, created in memory of Summit resident Thomas Glasser who died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
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Family of the late Thomas Glasser was on hand for the dedication, including (clockwise from top left): his father Gerry, past chairman of the Overlook Foundation board of trustees; wife Meg; and sons Luke and Dylan.
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The concept behind the caregivers center was inspired by the late Kathryn Fusco, whose family attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception. Here, her husband Claude (second from left) is surrounded by their children – Diana, Claude and Emily.
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Conducting one of many tours through the newly completed center, Sue Thomas, manager of the patient experience at Overlook, shows guests the carefully selected décor and furnishings designed to provide a tranquil environment for all who enter.
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