The Arc Mercer Health Care Center officially opened its doors in the Mercer County Community on June 8, 2011 with the vision to provide people with developmental disabilities both psychiatric and counseling services.  The Arc Mercer County Health Care Center staff brings a combined 30 years' experience providing exceptional care to people with developmental disabilities.  This is done through collaboration of care provided by our Mental Health Staff:  Jennifer Desmukes, D.O., Carolina Diao, M.D., Amanda Adiyia, APN., Monica Quaste M.A., LPC, Andrew Pillar, MPC, and Eleni Peltekis, LAC.

The American mental health crisis is exacerbated for the IDD community by the lack of experienced providers and the few who accept Medicaid payments. In 2011, Arc Mercer recognized this need and committed to do something about it. From humble beginnings, this state of the art healthcare center now serves over 400 patients across NJ.

PSYCHIATRY

A proper balance of medication assisted therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy is key to enabling our residents to realize their goals. As we work to increase independence, our team of Psychiatrists and Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners have reduced the use of psychotropic drugs across all of our patients, leading to a greater quality of life.

Meet Our Team

Jennifer Dismukes, DO

 Dr. Dismukes is a Board-certified Adult and Pediatric Psychiatric Physician with over 25 years experience treating patients who present with symptoms of mental illness, neuro-developmental disability, or substance abuse.  She completed a combined internship in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry, a residency in Psychiatry, and a fellowship in pediatric Psychiatry.  Dr. Dismukes is a Penn State and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic medicine graduate.   She is a US Army trained physician  veteran with 13 years of active duty military service including a combat deployment.  She has worked in leadership roles in all areas of Psychiatry.
Dr. Dismukes has enjoyed working with ARC Mercer since 2021.

Carolina Diao, MD

Dr. Diao is a Psychiatry Specialist and has over 52 years of experience in the medical field.  She graduated from Ue Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center in 1971.  Dr. Diao treats mental illness such as depression, anxiety disorder, substance abuse, and schizophrenia.  She has enjoyed working with The Arc Mercer since 2016.

Amanda Adiyia, NP

Amanda is a highly experienced Nurse Practitioner with over a decade of experience in various healthcare settings, including inpatient and outpatient care. Her expertise lies in mental health, and she has worked extensively with the special needs population throughout her career. With a Master's degree in Nursing, she prioritizes the quality of life and quality of healthcare for those she care for.

 

THERAPY

Talk therapy has been proven to increase compliance with treatment plans, decrease instances of crisis, and improve patients' goal achievement. Our staff of licensed counselors work with Direct Support Professionals to treat patients in person and virtually across the state.

Meet Our Team

Monica Quaste, LPC

Director of Therapy Services

 

Andrew Pillar, MSW

Andrew received his MSS in Clinical Counseling from Bryn Mawr School of Social Work and Social Research in2010.
Andrew has experience working with children, adolescents, and adults. He uses a client-centered, humanisticapproach, focusing on aspects of Existentialism, mindfulness, family-systems, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, whilekeeping careful consideration of cultural concerns and practices. Andrew has over five years of experience working withthe IDD population in group, individual and family settings.

Lawrence Greenstein, MSW, LCSW

Lawrence graduated from Rutgers with my MSW in 2011 and received his LCSW in 2014. Since starting in the field, he has worked with various populations in residential and outpatient settings. Lawrence takes a solution focused, collaborative approach with his patients to help them achieve their goals in a supportive manner. He believes in encouraging each of his patients to draw upon their strengths and interests to work towards their goals, independence, and successes however they define them. 

Hannah Lugat

Intern

Hannah is a Social Work intern who has a passion for working with others, she is proud to join the Arc Mercer team! she is a graduate of Cairn University in Langhorne, PA and is currently working towards her MSW at Eastern University in St. Davids PA

BEHAVIORAL SUPPORTS

Arc Mercer Behavioral Supports provides community-based assessments and support for those in need. Our behaviorists work in collaboration with our licensed psychiatric practitioners to reduce harm, improve outcomes, and better integrate our patients with their community.