The Healthcare Foundation of NJ: 30 Years of Healing, Hope, and Humanism

The Foundation was created in 1996 from the proceeds of the sale of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center to what was then called the St. Barnabas Health System. HFNJ was created to serve as a permanent foundation dedicated to promoting the health of the public served in the hospital’s catchment area.

Since our founding, we have stayed true to that mission by awarding almost 500 nonprofit partners $196 million to support 2,769 grant projects in Newark and its environs. Touching on every aspect of health and healthcare – from nurse navigators to mental health clinicians to life-saving imaging scanning equipment – these projects have enhanced countless lives.

To drive change where it was needed, throughout our three-decade history, HFNJ has launched several timely initiatives responding to the critical healthcare needs of the community at the time. These included piloting school-based health clinics in Newark; assisting local hospitals to prevent hospital-acquired delirium; expanding access to ACA enrollment; strengthening local support for veteran’s mental health; integrating pediatric primary care and behavioral health; providing emergency funding to combat the COVID-19 pandemic; strengthening behavioral health support for Jewish adolescents; and providing core support to key community partners.

A lot has changed in the world since 1996, and few fields have witnessed as much change as healthcare.  But what has remained constant has been our commitment to the community and to the ideals of humanism in medicine. Stemming from the belief of founding HFNJ Board Chair Lester Z. Lieberman, and transmitted to successive board chairs Beth Levithan and Amy Schechner, HFNJ has always championed the vision that healthcare should encompass the principles of compassion, empathy, respect, and cultural sensitivity. Indeed, these values are infused in each of the 2,769 projects we have funded – and we hope that the recipients of these services are therefore better served.

As we look ahead to the next year and our pearl anniversary, we look forward to announcing new initiatives which will further strengthen our community partners and expand the ability of our local healthcare institutions to deliver the highest quality care.

Check our website throughout the year as we will continue to post stories about our history.