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Maleka Robinson and her daughter Dr. Marcella Garner
recently opened MGM Medical Center in East Orange in May. They're the first
Black-owned mother-daughter medical center in New Jersey.

Dr. Garner's <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@marcellalovezme/video/7116250664929545518">TikTok</a> celebrating the medical center's opening early this month went viral.&nbsp;

Maleka Robinson and her daughter Dr. Marcella Garner recently opened MGM Medical Center in East Orange in May. They're the first Black-owned mother-daughter medical center in New Jersey.

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Um, I do think that's how they get rid of the, the entire county now is jonesing for subway and a foot long cookie. Well, I mean, is up to something. That's what I think they did a collaboration. All right, where our forecast is going as we head into tonight, we've got to clear to a partly cloudy sky. It's partly cloudy to clear. We will be looking for a sunny start to your Tuesday afternoon. Temperatures are going to be on the chillier side in the lower thirties, daytime, highs this week getting into the lower forties. By the weekend, we're back up into the fifties and wouldn't, you know, it, we've got some rain showers to track as we get into the second half of the weekend. At least that's the way it looks like right now as we roll into tonight, we are looking for clear skies. Temperatures by Tuesday morning are going to be at or just above the freezing mark. It is going to be a chillier start as we, uh first get Tuesday underway clouds will eventually show back up in the forecast day. High temperatures struggling. We should be at about 4849 for a normal daytime high temperature tomorrow. We're looking for lower forties and it's a similar situation as we get into Wednesday, temperatures are going to be on the cooler side, upper twenties and lower thirties to start off Wednesday. We'll be looking for daytime highs to eventually get back up into the lower forties the best day of this 10 day. Well, the best day of this is going to be on Friday with mainly sunny skies and temperatures are back up into the lower fifties. We'll see partly cloudy skies on Saturday. Saturday looks to be the drier day of the upcoming week and we're more than likely be dealing with some rain and wind as we get into the second half of the weekend. The second half next week looks fantastic with mainly sunny skies and temperatures a little bit more in line for December. More details on that forecast coming right up. Thanks.

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Interview: MGM Medical Center in East Orange expands reach through TikTok 

this summer, we're putting the spotlight on small businesses here in the garden state to women in essex County are making history with the first black owned mother daughter medical center here in New Jersey Malika Robinson and dr Marcella Garner just opened MGM Medical Center in East Orange in May. The first Black hole mother and daughter primary care office. Uh we specialize in all your primary care services, routine physicals. We have inpatient EKGs and also in lab laboratory. Um we do refer out for consultations such as like G. I. So have stomach issues if you need blood transfusions but your primary care services we provide right in the house, but also the capability of drawing labs. How did you come up with the idea for this care center? You will not believe in stuff like that. Yeah. Um a couple of years ago and I've always been servicing the community or medical missions at church and anybody that knows me that has my cell phone number, they would call me for advice. And the comment comment was like, you should open up your own practice, opening your own practice. And then one day the light went off said, oh I can't help my own practice. And then I started the necessarily paperwork to get it in in into existence. How was that whole process of bringing it into existence? Yeah, I see your expression now, that was a tedious one. I didn't know the idea was way easier than the process. Um the whole process because I wanted something in my local community to serve my community and I wanted to have easy access for my community. So with that being though it was a residential area, I had to go through the city to turn it into commercial and then I had to go in. Another goal of ours is that won't be open. We wanted to be able to open with all the insurances that our community have, whether it's Medicaid, Medicare. So with that that process began over a year and a half to two years ago just so that when we opened up our doors on june 3rd, everything could be in two parts. So we're talking two years. It literally took about a year and a half to get that full process with the insurance companies and with the city to get up to par so that we can open. But that was a very tedious back and forth paperwork in and out like that one was very tedious And coming up in our next segment at nine Malika and Dr. Garner talk about the process to get this business off the ground. Two women in essex County are making history with the first black owned mother daughter Medical center here in New Jersey malika Robinson and Dr Marcella Garner just opened MGM Medical Center in East Orange in late May malika was an RN who went back to school to become a nurse practitioner. One of many skills she says came in handy for this chapter of her life. Yes. Yes, that's where most of all of the credentials come from. Because I was a registered nurse first um from bedside nursing all the way up to director of nursing and facilities. Um Yes and then I went back to school. So that's where the B. At the R. N. Because I went to essex County College and got my RN. And went back for my Bachelors in Science. And then I went for my nurse practitioners. So that's where most of the credentials come in because every degree you get a different um traditionally behind your name. But yes then I went back for my nurse practitioner and then about a year into my nurse practitioner. That's when the idea clicked that I can actually open up my own practice dr garner. I know your mom is so proud to hear us say that you must have been very proud of her. Yes. Absolutely. Uh since I was a kid, I always watched because she was an L. P. N. Then she was an RN. Then she became a nurse practitioner. So my whole life growing up, I always admired her and uh she is a woman of many hats for her community, for her family. Uh So she helped pave the way for me and I thank you. Did you ladies know that you were making history when you opened this primary care facility? No, no idea. And I always say it's my obedience that got us here because of the same. So I have a doctor's practice, I think the doctor governor, my baseline is in thurston and my mom always said, go back to school to get your doctorate. And I'm like, no, I'm making the money, I don't want to go back to school. But I trust my mom. And I know she knows the best for me. So I listened and I'm glad that I listened because now we're making history, so definitely didn't know we were making history. And so when we released the Grand opening and ribbon cut and they know probably a couple months before that said, I don't think there's no mother go to Medical Center in New Jersey. And so then we started researching and then we found out that there wasn't a black owned mother daughter Medical Center in New Jersey. And then we was like, oh my God, we're making history. But again, like she said, because the whole obedience and I said, go further than me. That's all I was thinking. I wanted her to go further than me. If I had my masters, I wanted her to have a doctorate. So I just wanted her to be ahead of me. And with that, that's how we became able to make history fabulous together. I love them tomorrow malika and dr Garner share what it's like working together as mother and daughter. It is one thing to have a personal relationship as mother and daughter. But when you're working together, that's a whole different Ballgame. Such is the case with the owners of MGM Medical Center in East Orange essex County. They have the first black owned mother daughter medical center here in our state. Oh my God, it is amazing. I love it. Um, and our Tiktok Marcela loves shows the chemistry that we have, you know, typical mother and daughter, we love each other. Two seconds later, we're like, no, no, no, this. I'm sure your mother actually listens and I have to understand she's my boss. Yes, she's your boss. But it seems like it's very comedic between the two of you. It is, I mean, we try to have a straight face and not turning, but it kind of even lighten the loads with the patients because we're here and we know we came from nothing. We came from food stamps to actually making history. So we know the life and we know medicine and so when we put that together, when they come and they say, well, I have this and you know, we always break and they'd be ashamed that they test and were able to break the ice from our experience. And then once we all of us are laughing and then we can put our professional has back on and give them the advice your focus is to educate people on common preventable diseases and help people manage chronic illnesses to stay out of the hospital. Yeah, absolutely. We definitely want to target the younger community because the younger community is the healthy generally the healthy community so we can teach them to exercise right to diet, right to do things in moderation and long term that will set them up for a more healthier life. But we're also here to help those who have chronic illnesses from years of you know, Eating whatever you wanted and now we're here to try to fix it in 30 minutes but it's okay for a team malika. You wanted to give credit to three very special staffers who you say you could not do this without definitely, definitely once our Tiktok went viral and it just shows the dedication for these young ladies. Once that that Tiktok went viral on a Tuesday night going into Wednesday Wednesdays were generally closed and this phone started ringing at 6 20 in the morning for patients wanting to have appointments. And I said how did you hear about it? Because at that time the causes for this to my phone and I said to Tiktok and I said and I text call my daughters I think you better check that Tiktok and they had went bible. These ladies came in make appointments, Salima Park which is my office manager, Sameera Douglas which is my receptionist and Juanita Richardson which is another certified medical assistance. This this is always here with smiles and and even the patients just love making them no, definitely can't do without them. I love you ladies, thank you so much. Next this mother daughter duo talks about the impact of social media like Tiktok on their small business. Thanks to the power of social media, especially Tiktok, one small business in essex county is expanding its reach worldwide. Malika Robinson and her daughter dr Marcella Garner just opened MGm Medical Center in East Orange in May. There, the first black owned mother daughter Medical center here in our state. What encouraged you all to start recording the Tiktok videos you speak of and apparently you're hearing from people worldwide. Yeah, so I, like I said before, my goal was to target that younger community and the younger community, they only care about how many followers you have on Tiktok. So I said, mom get in here, I'm gonna teach you to stand, you have to stand. And she was like, absolutely not. And she did her own thing was the phrase. So it all worked out and that's how the words right with the younger community. Once we got Tiktok viral and I just love it. And I'm here to, you know, educate the younger community. I wasn't involved. I want them to be able to learn from you to teach others and we can just continue to make generational changes. Uh, so that's why we decided to do the Tiktok for the younger community, we want you, we want to and uh like like you just enter the, cause I have you see everywhere texas Illinois Oklahoma Missouri Minnesota. Like everywhere. People that said I can't get there believe me. The ones that can get here has definitely came here cause here made appointments even just setting up their files, here's my insurance information when we do get sick. My family is coming here but the ones that could not get here calling with tears in their eyes and our ancestors are rejoicing. Never thought that we would have right, right. Never, never, never, never thought that at all. We talked about the services that you offer, remind people of those again and the hours. Alright so here at medical separated all your primary care needs but also his pride routine, physicals in the office E. K. G. And in the office on labs for open monday Tuesday thursday friday. Even saturday saturday were eight to noon. Alright. Just reiterate that one more time. The hours are monday Tuesday thursday and friday we are nine a.m. To five p.m. And saturday. We are open from eight a.m. To noon. Any final thoughts ladies? Thank you mom for paving away. I love you and I appreciate you and we're looking forward to seeing our community and educating our community and thank you for being part of history with MGM when it, Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to the community for um taking from being receptive and trusting us and coming to us. We want to thank you. We could not do it without you guys. Thank you for the encouragement. And like my daughter just thinking, we are here to definitely provide primary care service and manage chronic illnesses or anything that you had With my experience in the hospital. Both of you have over 20 years of acute care, um medical experience. And so anything that walked through these doors we basically can take care of. You can see all of the segments for MGM Medical Center on my facebook page and news 12 dot com.

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