The Healthcare Foundation Of New Jersey Awards $1.45 Million In New Grants

New funding includes an award of $153,475 to the Newark Community Street Team for the agency’s new Trauma Recovery Center.  The grant continues HFNJ’s support of the Street Team and its recognition of violence prevention and violence-induced trauma as an important public health issue.

A third year of support, in the amount of $186, 877, went to Playworks, Inc. for its work building a healthy school climate for youth in Newark’s Public Schools.  In addition, $99,000 went to Easter Seals of NJ for expanding physical and mental healthcare by providing counsellors and case workers with expertise in signing for deaf and hard-of-hearing populations in greater Essex County.  A grant of $99,300 was awarded to the Kessler Foundation for the development of home-based stroke rehab protocols using virtual reality.

Finally, capital grants to improve healthcare for low income, vulnerable populations in hospital and institutional setting were awarded to Trinitas Regional Medical Center for the upgrading of its interventional radiology suite ($500,000 outright and a challenge grant of $250,000), and to Broadway House to upgrade its nurse call and patient broadcast systems ($160,315).

Background:
This $100 million renovation project will transform the Lyons Avenue landscape and create a more welcoming space for the surrounding community and patients, a space that reflects the level of care delivered as well as the hospital’s commitment as an anchor institution in the city of Newark and the South Ward. As one of the largest employers in the South Ward, Newark Beth Israel is committed to spurring economic development in the community. This renovation will result in the utilization of local and diverse businesses, as well as local hiring of Newark and surrounding community members.

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is a 665-bed regional care teaching hospital that provides comprehensive health care. Newark Beth Israel is a Top Teaching Hospital and home to one of the nation’s top ten heart transplant centers, which has performed more than 1,000 heart transplants; RWJBarnabas Health’s Heart Failure Treatment and Transplant Program; New Jersey’s only Advanced Lung Disease and Transplant Program and a Valve Center that performs complex cardiac valve procedures, including minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs). Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is also home to Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ), which cares for children from birth through adolescence, with more than 30 specialized pediatric services including New Jersey’s largest Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders; and the Children’s Heart Center that offers a complete range of medical and surgical treatments for the most complex cardiac abnormalities. The Newark Beth Israel robotic surgery program is the most experienced in northern New Jersey. RWJBarnabas Health and The Frederick B. Cohen, MD, Comprehensive Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey Breast Health Center, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey – the state’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center – brings a world class team of researchers and specialists to fight alongside you, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials. Newark Beth Israel also offers many preventive health programs that promote wellness in the community, including The Beth Greenhouse, which provides access to fresh produce and health and wellness education to local residents.

About HFNJ:

The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, originally called The Beth Israel Foundation, was established in 1996, when Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBIMC) was sold to the Saint Barnabas Corporation after a proud history of providing quality care and a humanistic environment to people of all backgrounds in greater Newark who came to the hospital for treatment or for employment.

The Foundation seeks to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable, underserved populations in greater Newark and the Jewish community of Greater MetroWest, NJ; elevate the quality of community healthcare; reduce disparities in access; and promote the infusion of compassion and humanism into our healthcare system. To achieve these goals, HFNJ has awarded grants in excess of $160 million over the course of its 25-year history.