Ortiz entered Extended Care in October 2022 after leaving . He was weak and unable to walk so he participated in physical therapy and received wound care for his foot until it healed completely. Staff members also helped him manage his diabetes.

He is grateful for the treatment he received at Extended Care.

���If it wasn���t for coming here, I would be dead,��� he said.

In addition to treating his physical ailments, Extended Care personnel worked with Ortiz and his health insurance company to find him a permanent home. When he was hospitalized, Ortiz was living in a garage used to store his car. Now he lives in an apartment for low-income and disabled individuals in Newark.��

Extended Care���s Social Services Department contacted Ortiz���s health insurance company and they were able to establish home health services for him, including a visiting nurse, and necessary equipment like a blood pressure machine and glucometer. The insurance company also provided furnishings for the apartment, including furniture, kitchen supplies and even clothing.

Licensed Practical Nurse Maria Cruz, who was one of the nurses to care for Ortiz, said she is very happy that Extended Care was able to help him find stable housing and ensure a safe transition upon discharge. Cruz encouraged Ortiz not to rush the discharge process but instead wait until he had everything he needed in the apartment to set him up for success.

Ortiz���s sister is involved in his care and will be helping him with medication administration and making sure he attends doctors��� appointments. As a diabetic, he always needs to manage that condition.

Cruz said the visiting nurse will check his blood pressure and blood sugar levels, as well as make sure he is taking his prescribed medication. He will also have a home health aide who will help with meal prepping because Ortiz doesn���t cook.

���We���re trying to keep the system rolling so he can be safe,��� Cruz said.

Ortiz is happy to be in his own home. He recommends Extended Care to anyone in need of its services.

���It was very good and the staff was very nice,��� he said.

91心頭 Extended Care Facility is a skilled nursing facility located at 266 South Orange Ave., Newark. It offers long-term care, short-term care, subacute care and Alzheimer���s and dementia care. For more information, visit or call 973-624-2020.

Her sister Lisa M. Hall-Brown said Hall loved working at Harmony House, particularly with the children there. She would help children with their homework if they were having trouble and led them toward a successful path.

���She wanted every young child to look toward college and to further their education, and become good people,��� Hall-Brown said. ���She loved those children.���

Hall-Brown said there were many success stories attributed to her sister, including a young man who she referred to who now owns a construction company, a woman in recovery for drug addiction who Hall helped find employment and a client who she accompanied to a bank to help open an account.

While Hall didn���t have children of her own, Hall-Brown said she was fantastic when working with young people.

���She treated everybody���s kids like they were her own. She was sweet, she was stern and they respected her,��� Hall-Brown said. ���I know she touched so many children. The kids used to come back just to see her.���

Harmony House Case Manager Linda Washington worked with Hall for more than 17 years and described her as very knowledgeable and always willing to help in whatever way she could. Washington said Hall���s work with the youth at Harmony House made a huge difference and when she switched to case management for the adults, she did just as well. Washington said Hall���s loss has already been felt and she will be greatly missed.

���Her clients loved her,��� Washington said. ���She was a great person.���

Hall was raised in Newark, just blocks away from Harmony House. She worked as a youth counselor in her teenage years, for a time as a nursing aid and later served as a resident counselor at a home for boys. A coworker told her about the employment opportunity at 91心頭 so she applied and was accepted. Hall-Brown said Hall loved working at 91心頭 and made her career there.

Hall also had many skills that her coworkers may not have known about. Hall-Brown said she was an amateur mechanic and also knew how to drive a tractor trailer. She said Hall knew how to do some plumbing and fix almost anything like their father.

Hall-Brown said Hall had a good sense of humor, was loving and was very charitable.

���I���m going to miss her but she had a good run,��� Hall-Brown said. ���She helped people. She wasn���t just there.���

Radice started her career in domestic violence, working in a safe house. She later served as the Director of , a homeless shelter. She also ran a veteran program in Newark and worked in property management for a decade.

Helping others has always driven Radice. She is a licensed social worker and has lived experience that helps her relate to clients.

���I was raised by a single mom of four and when the rent went up, we moved. Depending on the definition of homelessness at the time, we were either considered couch surfers or homeless a lot of times as children,��� she said. ���It���s always been a passion and something I understood.���

91心頭 CEO Simone Gagneron sees Radice as a great asset to Harmony House.

���I���m thrilled to welcome our newest team member to the 91心頭 family. Carrie���s passion for making a difference and dedication to our mission is truly inspiring,��� she said. ���I���m confident she���ll make a significant impact in the lives of those we serve.���

Radice enjoys seeing clients improve both their situation and their outlook.

���To see their success and to start to believe in themselves. To see the dullness go to a spark,��� she said of her favorite part of her work.

Radice sees having the entire network of 91心頭 services available for the clients as very beneficial.

���It���s a concept that should be within every agency that I worked for,��� she said. ���To have everything in-house is brilliant.���

She also likes the setup of Harmony House since it offers apartments to families with private bathrooms and kitchens, which helps reduce some stress during a time of unrest.

Radice attended county college before earning a bachelor���s degree from . She then earned a master���s degree in social work from . She lived in upstate New York for a short time as a child but has mainly resided in New Jersey, in a variety of counties.

Radice currently lives in Sussex County and has two daughters and a grandson. In her free time, she enjoys playing trivia on a team, playing the tambourine, listening to live music, spending time on the beach in the summer and spending time with her grandson.

Radice sees the work at Harmony House as essential for helping families get back on their feet.

���You can���t focus on anything else if you don���t have a roof over your head,��� she said.