Health Care Guide Press Releases

Hunterdon Medical Center received $247,000 grant for Community Needs Assessment Program

Hunterdon Medical Center Foundation was recently awarded a $247,000
grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through its New Jersey
Health Initiatives program to conduct a county-wide community health
needs assessment and to develop strategic improvement plans to address
the identified needs. This initiative will be managed by Hunterdon
Regional Community Health in collaboration with Hunterdon Medical
Center, Hunterdon County Division of Health and the more than 40 members
of the Hunterdon County Partnership for Health. 

In the past three months some members of the community participated in
focus group sessions that identified important quality of life concerns
and assets within the county. In February, some key informants and
stakeholders will be asked to take part in a brainstorming session to
discuss anticipated changes that can impact our local public health
system.  The data and information collected will be used to help the
hospital and the community understand health-related issues that need to
be prioritized and determine areas of strengths and weaknesses. 

An innovative piece of this initiative is the use of management
software and social media. These tools will be used to improve community
participation and communication as well as to encourage teamwork and
collaboration among the existing organizations that are working toward
improving community health and quality of life. In addition, it will
help increase the community’s understanding of available public health
services and the wealth of resources offered in the county. Although
Hunterdon County has been ranked the healthiest county in New Jersey by
the University of Wisconsin’s County Health Rankings, there is still
room for improvement. This grant will help ensure that Hunterdon County
residents are as healthy and as safe as can be.  
The Partnership for Health, part of the healthier community initiative,
was co-founded in 1995 by John Beckley, former County Health Department
director, Robert Wise, President and CEO of Hunterdon Healthcare and
Bernadette West, Associate Dean at University of Medicine and 

Dentistry of New Jersey School of Public Health. The Partnership for
Health is a county-wide initiative represented by Hunterdon Medical
Center, the Hunterdon County Department of Health, and more than 40
concerned community service providers. The Partnership for Health's
vision is that every individual of Hunterdon County has the state of
optimal physical, mental, spiritual and social wellbeing which allows
the individual to pursue the most fulfilling life possible, and not
merely a life absent of disease or infirmity.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and
health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest
philanthropic organization devoted exclusively to improving the health
and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse
group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve
comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the
Foundation has brought experience, commitment and a rigorous, balanced
approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those
it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and
get the care they need - the Foundation expects to make a difference in
your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

For those interested in learning more about the initiative or
participating in future workshops contact Joanna Chua, MPH, Program
Coordinator at 908-788-2572.