Newark Beth Israel Medical Center recently received a $5 million grant to implement the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health, or REACH, program in Newark. The five-year program will help Newark Beth Israel improve health outcomes, prevent chronic diseases and reduce health disparities among Black, African American, Hispanic and Latinx communities, who experience the highest rates of chronic disease in the Brick City.
The program initiatives also will be expanded to Essex, Union, Hudson, Middlesex and Ocean counties over this five-year period.
“Over the years, we have created many programs and outreach initiatives aimed at improving access to health care and improving health outcomes for the many communities that we serve. The REACH program will greatly enhance our efforts and allow us to continue to address health care disparities in a meaningful way,” Darrell Terry, CEO and president, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey, said.
The funding will allow Newark Beth Israel and RWJBarnabas Health to work with state and local partners and coalitions to expand existing resources, address Newark’s health needs and reduce health disparities.
“This REACH funding will allow us to expand our community health education programs, establish new connections and strengthen existing relationships with community members and partners to innovate and achieve our mission of creating healthy communities, together,” Barbara Mintz, senior vice president, social impact and community investment, RWJBarnabas Health, said.
As one of 41 REACH recipients, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and RWJBarnabas Health will implement their proven public health strategies for:
- Promoting food access and nutrition guidelines;
- Expanding fruit and vegetable voucher incentive programs at the Beth Greenhouse and the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Women’s Wellness Pantry;
- Producing medically tailored meal programs for those living with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity/overweight; and
- Expansion of Newark Beth Israel’s nationally recognized KidsFit Nutrition education program to additional New Jersey schools.
“CDC is excited to announce this new REACH funding to 41 communities across 27 states and the District of Columbia,” Terry O’Toole, program development and evaluation branch chief in CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, said. “With this funding, organizations will plan and carry out local, culturally appropriate programs to address a wide range of health issues among racial and ethnic minority groups where health gaps remain. REACH intends to improve health where people live, learn, work and play.”
