• Health insurance is an important part of ensuring access to medical services. That was especially important as the COVID-19 public health emergency ended – and along with it the automatic re-enrollment into Medicaid for thousands of individuals and families. Hospitals became important partners in efforts by the state and federal government to reach hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans and help them re-enroll to preserve their coverage. Valley Health System coordinated with local school nurses to reach families at risk; University Hospital hosted community education sessions; Bergen New Bridge Medical Center recorded a podcast to reach more community members; Hunterdon Medical Center connected with more than 70 local organizations; and CentraState Healthcare System followed up individually with residents if they hadn’t completed the required re-enrollment paperwork.

• When members of the community can’t get to Saint Peter’s University Hospital for healthcare, the hospital takes healthcare into the community. Its 34-foot health van travels thousands of miles throughout central New Jersey visiting schools, retirement communities, day care centers, homeless shelters, senior centers, public housing complexes, shopping centers and corporations. Advanced practice and registered nurses provide an array of services from health screenings, healthcare education, risk assessments, vision tests and more, providing opportunities for improved health in areas where services may be limited.

• The 56 homey apartments of Barclay Place in Paterson are the first project to be completed under an innovative state program that promotes hospital investment in affordable and supportive housing. Spearheaded by St. Joseph’s Health in conjunction with the N.J. Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, the community development project provides affordable housing located just a short walk to the hospital to provide easy access to St. Joseph’s supportive services. A wellness hub on the building’s ground floor welcomes community organizations that provide an array of social services to residents.

• "Fresh fruits and vegetables, taken by mouth three times a day." You may not find that written on a pill bottle, but it’s part of the prescription for a healthier community at the Eat Well Food Farmacy at Virtua Health. The program is targeted to patients who experience food insecurity or who have been diagnosed with a diet-related chronic condition. Patients are referred to the Food Farmacy by clinicians to gain access to fresh, healthy foods at two community locations plus a mobile farmer’s market that travels to neighborhoods.

• The Trenton Neighborhood Initiative was started with $1 million in seed money from Capital Health. It has now grown to a five-year, $10 million campaign with the hospital partnering with an array of community organizations to help city residents realize the goal of home ownership and rehabilitation. Additional issues addressed through the initiative include job training and employment, equitable wifi and digital connectivity and healthy beginnings to support the needs of new moms and their families.

• The Community Health Team at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center is a squad of seven community health workers who meet local residents where they live, work and play. "In every community, there are individuals who encounter barriers to healthcare services. Our team goes directly to those most affected to address their needs." Through proactive outreach, the team has provided suicide prevention for U.S. veterans; monkeypox vaccination for members of the LGBTQI community; and COVID vaccination and testing for the Ramapough Lenape indigenous community. In 2021 alone, Bergen New Bridge performed more than 250,000 COVID tests and 130,000 COVID vaccinations to protect all of its diverse community.

• More than 3,000 New Jersey residents lost their lives to drug overdoses in 2021. Englewood Health, through its Gregory P. Shadek Behavioral Care Center, distributes free naloxone kits throughout the community to prevent fatal overdoses and give individuals a path to recovery. It also developed partnerships with community organizations to provide education and anti-stigma campaigns to promote prevention and treatment.

• The community health needs assessment performed by Penn Medicine Princeton Health showed a growing concern over behavioral health issues. Community members of all ages were struggling with anxiety, depression and social isolation in the wake of the pandemic. To support community members as well as staff, the hospital provides mental health first aid training to help them identify and understand the signs and symptoms of someone experiencing a mental health issue. The training also addresses ways to help individuals access the services they need.

• AtlantiCare has partnered with Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, the nation’s first historically black college or university, to host Cheyney students in an immersive experience that introduces them to career opportunities in healthcare. AtlantiCare team members serve as mentors. "One of my career aspirations is to go to medical school to become a physician," said Mohamedanwar Idress, a junior at Cheyney. "Being in this immersive experience at AtlantiCare, I’ll receive insights about being in the medical field and get a better understanding of what it truly means to be a physician."

• Atlantic Health System’s Pathway to Ensuring Access and Clinical Excellence in Nursing (AHS PEACE) is designed to support and empower nurses in practicing at the top of their license while expanding and diversifying the pipeline of nursing professionals. AHS PEACE provides professional pathways for RNs as well as nursing assistants to advance their careers. All told, the AHS PEACE initiative will support the creation of approximately 2,000 nursing jobs through the recruitment of graduating high school students, college-level undergraduates and entry-level healthcare workers seeking to advance in their careers.

• CentraState's Personal Care Technician training program opens doors for individuals to receive free training and job placement for entry-level hospital positions. The program combines classroom learning, clinical hands-on training and, upon successful completion of the program, full-time employment at the hospital, working alongside the nursing team to assist in patient care. After one year of work experience, employees are eligible to sit for the National PCT certification test and take their next step up the career ladder.

• Through its Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health has developed new capabilities in detecting cancer and other diseases earlier than ever before. This new system captures extracellular vesicles (EVs) which have been elusive to medicine thus far but can provide important biomarkers for detection of tumors and a wide range of other diseases. "We are really establishing the threshold of detection," said Olivier Loudig, PhD, an associate member of the center.

• At Cooper University Health Care's Innovation Center, a wearable heart monitor provides new hope for the early detection of congestive heart failure. The novel device, invented and developed by Robert A. Hirsh, MD, a member of the Anesthesiology Department at Cooper and associate professor at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, has the potential to provide an "early warning" and pre-symptom diagnosis and prevention for those most at risk of this potentially deadly condition.

• For pediatric patients coping with pain, Virtua Health is using the latest technology in virtual reality to help children and teens through distraction-based therapy. As Virtua innovators describe it, this "new dimension in medicine taps technology and the mind’s curiosity" to provide pain relief. Kids going through a procedure or coping with chronic pain use virtual reality headsets to create an immersive experience. Researchers say the technique gives these young patients relief by changing the brain's input on experiences of pain.

• Led by nurse Ingrid Johnson, Overlook Medical Center at Atlantic Health System has formed an Emergency Department human trafficking committee to educate healthcare professionals about the issue. Team members are taught how to spot victims who may be “hiding in plain sight” as they seek care in the hospital emergency department and to follow evidence-based procedures to help bring them to safety.

• RWJBarnabas Health adopts a "glocal" philosophy – creating health equity both globally and locally. It partners with Rutgers University to enhance research, improve medical and health professional education, build community-driven partnerships, address inequities in healthcare and eliminate health disparities. Its efforts reach vulnerable populations abroad in locales such as the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico and here at home in local communities.

• Robert Garrett, president and CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health, takes New Jersey leadership to the world stage as chair of the World Economic Forum's Health and Healthcare Governor's Community. The group convenes to address global healthcare issues and explore opportunities to broaden access to healthcare and improve health outcomes. Among its priority topics: health equity and the impact of climate change on personal health.

• RWJBarnabas Health has embraced a commitment to "hire local, buy local, invest local." That includes using its purchasing power and local sourcing to create opportunities for local and diverse communities to build wealth. Between 2019 and 2022, the health system has spent $181.5 million with New Jersey suppliers, including $55.5 million with small businesses, $82.3 million with minority-owned businesses, $39.66 million with women-owned businesses and $4 million with veteran-owned businesses.

• Inspira Health and the City of Woodbury have teamed up to redevelop a former hospital campus into the Woodbury Health and Education Innovation District – a hub of healthcare, housing, a hotel and conference center and retail to support the physical and economic health of the community. Hospital and city leaders engaged more than 50 employees, residents, educators, elected officials and others to hear about their wants and needs for the site. "As something that will impact the community for the better, we are delighted with the on-going collaboration and dialogue across stakeholders to develop a plan that will meet the unique needs of the community," said Woodbury Mayor Kyle Miller.