Carrier Clinic

Our Facility

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:50:00 GMT

The Carrier Clinic is nestled in a beautiful, tranquil rural setting on 100+ farm-like acres in convenient Belle Mead, New Jersey, which is centrally located and easily accessible by car.

On our sprawling campus-style country grounds live an array of wildlife, from peacocks and chickens to horses and fish in our pond, that provide a sense of peace as well as therapeutic healing.

Adolescents in our residence and school also have the monitored use of an outside swimming pool, tennis courts, and sitting/picnic areas.

In addition, Carrier Clinic has dedicated 15 acres of our private land for a solar photovoltaic array (solar panels), the largest ground-mount system on a New Jersey hospital campus at this time. These solar panels are designed to produce energy for us while demonstrating our ongoing commitment to partnering with our community, and keeping our air clean.

Inside our doors, we offer a wide assortment of amenities and programs to accommodate our patient's diverse needs, and provide the most comfortable, stimulating and healing environment possible.

Our facility features an inpatient hospital and on-site residences, two gymnasiums, a modern cafeteria, amphitheater, multi-sensory room, library and chapel, with special areas for our art, music, dog therapy and other programs.

Our Team

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:46:00 GMT

Carrier Clinic's skilled Clinical Treatment Team varies according to the specific needs of the clinical service that one receives at our facility. Our Treatment team upholds the highest regard for Carrier's key core values—Compassion, Respect, Integrity and Innovation—which serve as the basis for all our actions, and are the measurement of our success.

A MESSAGE FROM C. RICHARD SARLE
President and CEO

Two years ago, in preparation for our 100th anniversary, we had the extraordinary opportunity to rediscover some of Carrier Clinic's rich history, and look back on what had been an exciting 100 years.

Our mission statement from 1910 was to provide humane, personal treatment of nervous and mental diseases in a restorative farm setting-and although we no longer operate a traditional working farm, our mission to provide the best care and treatment in a safe, compassionate and respectful environment remains the same.

We've grown from a self-contained community for mental health to now being the primary resource for New Jersey's mental health and addiction needs. Today, we serve over 5000 people a year within our hospital, addiction center and adolescent residential facilities.

We are exceptionally proud of our adolescent continuum, comprised of inpatient treatment, residential services and a special education school on-site, created in response to the growing needs of adolescent services in the community. We continue to update our therapeutic modalities and adopt "best practices" to provide all of our patients with life-changing treatments, such as ECT (Electro-Convulsive Therapy).

The most important facet of our success, though, is our connection to the community at large. Carrier's continued presence has led to the employment of over 675 people every year for the last 40 years. We offer continuing education programs and professional conferences that have had a sizable impact on the quality of psychiatric treatment in the area. Free community programs on mental health, wellness and addiction topics are also presented throughout the year at surrounding libraries, schools and professional organizations through our Speaker's Bureau.

Being a good community partner is essential for our continued success. Last September, we hosted the First Annual Walk of Hope, and invited the community onto our beautiful 100+ acre campus. The goal of this walk was to educate people about mental illness and work to decrease the stigma of mental health and addictive illness.

Carrier’s focus on promoting wellness and recovery and decreasing the stigma of mental health and addictive illness continues to expand in 2012. In addition to hosting our Second Annual Walk of Hope, scheduled for September 15, 2012, we have recently launched Carrier’s “Connections” Newsletter, and a monthly educational e-mail series.

We welcome the community to join us at our Walk of Hope and learn more about the road to recovery and mental health.

Meet Our Medical Staff

Dr. Marie E. Hasson
Vice President and Medical Director

Dr. Hasson received a BA in Biology and English from the University of Pennsylvania and her MD from Jefferson Medical College. She completed her residencies at the University of North Carolina Hospital at Chapel Hill and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Prior to her appointment at Carrier, Dr. Hasson served as Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Medical Director of Behavioral Health Services at the Atlanticare Regional Medical Center. During that time, she was responsible for psychiatric services two hospitals within the Atlanticare system that provided Inpatient, Partial Hospital and Outpatient services, as well as Emergency Room Psychiatry Services and Screening Center facilitation.

Dr. Hasson also previously worked at Ancora Psychiatric Hospital as Medical Director from 2006-2008, where she had oversight of Medical Staff, Rehab, Social Services, Psychology, Chaplaincy and Pharmacy services.

Dr. Hasson is a member of the New Jersey Psychiatric Association and a Fellow in the American Psychiatric Association, and has been involved with numerous committees within the New Jersey Hospital Association and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

Dr. Buch
Staff Psychiatrist

Dr. Buch completed his BA at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, his M.D. at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, TN, and his Residency at East Carolina University School of Medicine in Greenville, NC.

Immediately prior to his appointment at Carrier Clinic, Dr. Buch was a full time Staff Psychiatrist at University Correctional Healthcare, UMDNJ. In addition to his Staff appointment at Carrier Clinic, he also acts as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Jefferson School of Medicine.

Dr. Buch is Board Certified in Psychiatry, is an American Board of Quality Assurance/Utilization Review Diplomate, and has earned added qualifications in both Addiction and Geriatric Psychiatry. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society, Philadelphia Psychiatric Society, American Association of Addiction Psychiatrists, American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry, American Geriatrics Society and the Association for Convulsive Therapy. Additionally, Dr. Bush has authored four publications and numerous presentations.

A "Top Doc" recipient in Philadelphia Magazine, Dr. Buch is licensed to practice in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.

Abdul H. Kazi, M.D.

Dr. Kazi attended medical school in Karachi, Pakistan and completed his residency at the Nassau County Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, in East Meadow NY.

Prior to his appointment at Carrier Clinic, Dr. Kazi was a full-time clinical psychiatrist at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. After moving to New Jersey, Dr. Kazi took the position of Clinical Psychiatrist II at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, working in the Intensive Treatment Unit, Transitional living Unit and at Raycroft Building. He also acted as an on-call physician for Carrier Clinic.

Board Certified in Psychiatry, Dr, Kazi is licensed to practice in New Jersey. He also currently maintains a private practice in Mercerville, NJ, specializing in pharmacological management of outpatients suffering from mood, anxiety and psychotic disorders.

Anthony Marino, Jr., M.D.
Clinical Psychiatrist in the Admissions Department

Dr. Marino was educated at Johns Hopkins University and went on to medical school at Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Upon graduation, he served an internship and his residency in psychiatry at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA.

Prior to his appointment at Carrier Clinic in 1995, Dr. Marino worked for Rainbow Healthcare Associates serving as Medical Director for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit at South Jersey Hospital System in Bridgeton. Dr. Marino is a member of the American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric Physicians of Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphia Psychiatric Society. He is licensed to practice in the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Claire C. Marsh, M.D.
Clinical Director of Adolescents Services at Carrier Clinic and East Mountain Youth Lodge

Dr. Marsh was educated at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York and received her medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She completed her postgraduate training from the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital, Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute in Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Institute. Prior to her appointment at Carrier Clinic, Dr. Marsh served as Director of the Adolescent Treatment Program at the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital. Before that, she worked as an Associate Director in the Young Adult Program.

Dr. Marsh is Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and the Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Society. She is licensed to practice in the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Umesh Mehta M.D.
Clinical Psychiatrist of Older Adult Services and Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

Dr. Mehta was educated at Gujarat University in India and attended medical school at the Royal College of Surgeons in England. In 1984, he completed his residency training in otolaryngology in the United Kingdom at West Middlesex University Hospital, Queen Mary's Hospital and North Riding Infirmary. After serving in the United Kingdom, Dr. Mehta moved to the United States, and in 1988 became a psychiatrist and worked at the Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

Prior to joining Carrier Clinic in 1993, he worked as a psychiatrist at Mount Sinai Medical School Program at Elmhurst Hospital Center in New York, and served a clinical fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Monefiore Medical Center in New York.

Dr. Mehta is Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and is licensed to practice in the states of Florida, New Jersey and New York.

Asma Nisar, M.D.
Clinical Psychiatrist on the Adolescent Unit

Dr. Nisar received her Doctor of Medicine at the Punjab Medical College at The University of the Punjab, Pakistan, and came to the United States to serve her residency in Psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Bronx Lebanon Hospital in Bronx, NY. Following her residency, she completed her Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, also at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Dr. Nisar is Board Certified by The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is licensed to practice in both New Jersey and New York.

Lynnette K. Peoples, MS, APRN, CS, BC
Advanced Practice Nurse at Carrier Clinic

Ms. Peoples received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Point Loma University in San Diego, CA, and her Master of Science in Nursing from Pace University in New York. She then completed her Fellowship in Child/Adolescent Psychodynamic Psychotherapy from New York University.

Most recently, before joining Carrier Clinic, Ms. People s worked at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Division of Nursing & Patient Services, Department of Consultation Liaison Psychiatry, and formerly was on staff in the Department of Psychiatry at The Stamford Hospital in Stamford, CT. She is ANCC Board Certified in Adult Mental Health Nursing, and is a member of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association and the American Psychoanalytic Association. Ms. Peoples is licensed to practice in New Jersey.

Barbara Sirch, MSN, APRN-BC
Advanced Practice Nurse at Carrier Clinic

Ms. Sirch received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Rutgers University College of Nursing in Newark, NJ, and her Master of Science at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, School of Nursing, also in Newark NJ. Prior to her appointment at Carrier Clinic in 2009, she was an Advanced Practice Nurse for the Center for Family Guidance in Marlton, NJ where she provided outpatient psychiatric evaluation, medication management, and psychotherapy services. She also maintains a private practice in Somerset NJ.

Ms. Sirch received her Psychiatric-Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist Certification from the ANCC, and is a member of the National Psychiatric Nurses Association and the New Jersey Psychiatric Nurses Association. She is licensed to practice in New Jersey.

Wojciech Szulaczkowski, M.D.
Clinical Psychiatrist on the Adolescent Unit

Dr. Szulaczkowski received his Doctor of Medicine at the M.D. Pomeranian Academy of Medicine in Szczecin, Poland, and came to the United States to serve his residency in Psychiatry at SUNY, Health and Science Center at Brooklyn, NY. Following his residency, where he also served as Chief Resident, Dr. Szulaczkowski completed his Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, also at SUNY.

Prior to Carrier Clinic, Dr. Szulaczkowski was Staff Psychiatrist at Morristown Memorial Hospital in Morristown NJ. He has also previously worked at the Woodhull Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. In addition, Dr. Szulaczkowski maintains a private practice in Morristown, NJ. Board Certified in Psychiatry, Dr. Szulaczkowski is licensed to practice in both New Jersey and New York.

Our History

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:29:00 GMT

Established in 1910 as the Belle Mead Farm Colony and Sanatorium by John Joseph Kindred, M.D., the initial inspiration behind our facility was "to establish and maintain a colony for the care and treatment of sick persons, and particularly for the care and treatment of nervous and mental diseases and also all allied diseases." Dr. Kindred's Belle Mead Sanatorium provided humane, personal treatment in a restorative farm setting.

Following the death of Dr. Kindred in the 1920's, his son, Dr. John Cramer Kindred, managed the Belle Mead Farm Colony and Sanatorium, and married Katherine Carrier. In 1951, Russell Neff Carrier, M.D., Katherine's brother, started working at the Sanatorium as Medical Director. In 1956, Dr. Carrier purchased the Sanatorium that then became the Carrier Clinic.

In the 1960's, the Carrier Clinic was expanded into several patient units. Dr. Carrier continued working on his goal of providing the best care for his patients in a home-like environment. In 1977, Carrier Clinic became a non-profit organization and was renamed The Carrier Foundation. Specialty units for adolescents and older adults were developed, as were specialty treatment programs for anxiety, mood disorders, and other conditions.

In the 1980's, Blake Hall was built for the dedicated purpose of treating patients with addiction problems. In addition, the Carrier Day School (now East Mountain School) was established to serve 9th through 12th graders with serious emotional problems. The East Mountain Youth Lodge was created to serve adolescents with psychiatric problems who could not live at home or in the community.

During the 1990's, the behavioral health care field focused on treating patients along a continuum of care from inpatient to outpatient. Carrier Clinic developed several outpatient centers throughout the state of New Jersey.

In the 2000's, Carrier refocused its priorities on enhancing clinical treatment programs at its Belle Mead, New Jersey campus. The organizational name reverted back to the "Carrier Clinic" as homage to the goals stated by Dr. Carrier.

A Community Services Program was started in 2000 as an elective at East Mountain School. Students became actively involved in a variety of service activities and trips which were scheduled in the community, such as volunteering for the Red Cross, senior assisted living facilities, soup kitchens and a day care center. This program continues to flourish today.

Through partnerships with the community and state, Carrier Clinic continues to share its clinical knowledge and expertise. In 2000, Carrier Clinic entered into a management contract with Richard Hall Community Mental Health Center (RHCMHC) and Psychiatric Emergency Screening Service (PESS), which continued for nine and six years respectively.

Additionally, the NJ Division of Mental Health and Carrier Clinic collaborated on a program (named CTP, or Clinical Transition Program)to treat state hospitalized dual-diagnosis patients at Carrier. In 2004, the Governor's Mental Health Task Force cited this as a model program to treat the mentally ill.

In 2002, Carrier Clinic developed East Mountain Hospital, a hospital-within-a-hospital. This 16-bed facility serves patients who have a long history of mental illness and need short-term hospitalization during exacerbation of their illness.

The Caring Solutions Initiative was started in 2004 as an effort to reduce the use of restrictive measures such as seclusion and restraint. The CSI model became an active clinical strategic initiative at Carrier which focused on a patient satisfaction approach involving patient engagement, mutual respect and trauma-informed care.

Carrier announced an affiliation with the Robert Wood Johnson Health Network in October of 2004. The affiliation allows for a collaboration of ideas and medical and psychiatric expertise which promotes enhanced quality service for all patients.

The year 2006 marked the beginning of the Equine Assisted Psychotherapy program at Carrier Clinic. Similar to pet therapy, Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is an experiential opportunity to identify, work with and work through various feelings that can surface while spending time around horses. Sessions are conducted with trained clinical staff and a horse expert, as every individual and group responds differently to the varying levels of feelings and reactions which often occur as metaphors to real life situations.

East Mountain School celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2006. What started as a program with 16 students and 7 staff members in 1981 grew to a school staff of 77, and an enrollment of approximately 120 students.

In 2007, Carrier Clinic opened the Intensive Outpatient Program for Addiction at Belle Mead. In June, a ground-breaking ceremony was conducted for the Richard Hall Community Mental Health Center Expansion & Renovation.

With the help of over 20 community partners, the adolescent unit was renovated in May 2007. In addition to new paint, furnishings and artwork, a library was also added to help bring some "normalizing" activities to those adolescents who are brought to Carrier in psychiatric crisis.

In November of 2007, Representative Rush Holt held a Roundtable discussion on mental health with local and national mental health advocates at Carrier Clinic. David Wellstone and Rep. Patrick Kennedy were on the call to support passage of an important piece of legislation-the "Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007," which brought us closer to the Mental Health Parity Act which was enacted in January 2010.

In 2008, Carrier Clinic started the Active Seniors program for active adults aged 60 or older to further specialize the clinical programming of the Older Adult unit. These seniors have the capacity to respond positively to a higher level of education and therapeutic interventions, and can actively participate in the structured treatment program. The Carrier Diversion Program (CDP) was implemented in August, 2008 for Ocean County residents from Kimball Medical Center's Short-term Care Facility who required continued inpatient involuntary care. Diverted from transferring to Ancora Psychiatric Hospital, patients receive psychiatric treatment including medication, discharge oriented treatment planning and programming designed to promote stability, health, recovery, wellness and a return to the community.

Carrier Clinic held a Groundbreaking Ceremony on September 30, 2009 to celebrate the construction of a 14-acre solar farm on campus. Completed in late December, the solar array provides a clean, safe and sustainable energy source that is expected to supply 50% of Carrier's electrical needs. At the time of completion, Carrier's ground-mount display was the largest of its size for any healthcare system in New Jersey, and is unprecedented for a Behavioral Healthcare System within the United States.

In 2010, the Young Adult program was created to provide addiction and mental health assessment and treatment to young adults aged 18-25 who are in need of a more age-specific program relevant to a young adult population.

Today, Carrier Clinic holds true to the values of compassion, respect, integrity and innovation. This is the basis of our actions in years past, as well as today.