Saint James Health Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), in partnership with RWJBarnabas Health, recently opened a new health clinic at Newark’s East Side High School as part of an ongoing effort to increase access to care and improve health outcomes in the city’s most vulnerable populations.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony coincided with the celebration of National Health Center Week.
“We are extremely lucky with the timing of this ribbon-cutting at East Side High School in the Ironbound. It falls during National Health Center Week. Here in New Jersey, the federally qualified health centers serve over 574,000 patients annually. This number continues to grow, along with the demand for affordable health care,” Saint James Health President and Chief Executive Officer Nicole Fields said.
Located at 69 Pulaski St. in Newark’s culturally rich Ironbound neighborhood, the Saint James Health Center at East Side High School has its own separate public entrance and offers patients primary care services, including pediatrics, adult medicine, vaccines, physicals, as well as access to trained social workers and assistance with insurance enrollment, in a safe and comfortable environment and with both language and cultural proficiency.
“I’m incredibly proud to be here on behalf of my 41,000 terrific colleagues,” Mark Manigan, president and chief executive officer, RWJBarnabas Health, said. “When people look back on what we have been doing for the last couple of years, they will judge us by how we treated the most vulnerable,” he added, applauding Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for his commitment to the project.
“Sometimes, society can take for granted that there are tens of thousands of people who have dedicated themselves to taking care of the sick and injured. It is inherently noble work. This facility and partnership will provide not only vital access to care but coordination and access to other social services that tie it all together. We are proud to partner with Saint James Health and the Newark School System to support students, families, and the Ironbound Community at large,”
he continued.
The collaboration with the City of Newark and Newark Public Schools brings high-quality health care right into the center of the community—the local public school—increasing access to care for students, their families, and surrounding residents.
“Health care is incredibly important,” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said explaining the disparities in access to care that challenge some neighborhoods within Newark and surrounding communities. “The partnership between RWJBarnabas Health and Saint James Health, along with other private and public relationships, is so important. It’s not competition, it’s collaboration. Affordable health care that is accessible to our residents is exactly what we need.”
As part of the event, RWJBarnabas Health also sponsored a backpack giveaway outside East Side High School, providing over 1,000 backpacks filled with essential school supplies for area children in time for the start of school.
The theme of this year’s National Health Center Week, Aug. 4-10, is “Powering Communities Through Caring Connections.”
Creation of the Saint James Health Center at East Side High School is part of a broader effort by RWJBarnabas Health, funded through the “Our Healthy Newark” appropriation from the State of New Jersey, to address health equity in vulnerable, historically underserved communities and the social determinants that impact health outcomes, including access to transportation, primary care facilities, safe housing, affordable medications, healthy foods, and other socio-economic factors. The initiative includes linking a core group of FQHCs to hospital electronic medical records systems, embedding community health workers to help patients navigate care, recruiting medical specialists who will expand care provided at local clinics, and addressing community social determinants of health on-site or close by.
