SJFMC Wins National Health Center Week Photo Contest

On September 24, Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers, Inc. (SJFMC) was announced as the Grand Prize Winner in the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) National Health Center Week photo contest. The contest was part of NACHC’s Health Center Advocacy Network. Advocates from across the nation cast nearly 8,000 votes for their favorite pictures and videos. Votes were cast on Facebook, YouTube and on an online form. Congratulations to Superman Jared Kidd (pictured above) and all the SJFMC team members for this special recognition. In 2017, SJFMC was a runner-up in the photo contest. To see more 2018 picture and video contest winners and runners-up, please visit here .

2018 SJFMC Health Center Hero Finalists

This year, the theme of National Health Center Week was Celebrating Health Centers: Home of America’s Health Care Heroes. These are individuals whose work and passion for improving health outcomes in communities have made a lasting, positive impact on our more than 50,000 patients. According to SJFMC President/CEO, Linda Flake, “Health centers are about people: our patients, providers, nurses, medical and dental assistants, care managers, front desk staff, translators, outreach staff, health educators, management teams, and voluntary board members and staff that go above and beyond to make lives better. Our health center heroes!” Thanks to the hard work and commitment of the heroes featured above, non-profit community health centers like SJFMC, the third largest in New Jersey, are a community “safety net” for vulnerable populations. They provide primary health care, including medical, dental, and mental health services; regardless of ability to pay. Our more than 41-year legacy of eliminating barriers to care would not be possible without the contributions of our Health Center Heroes, who work hard to improve lives every day. We salute you for your service and your commitment to our communities! Our 2018 Super Hero finalists: Connie Moreno and Randy Pruden

SJFMC HOLDS OPEN HOUSE AT NEWEST LOCATION IN ENGLISH CREEK

Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers, Inc. (SJFMC) celebrated its newest location at English Creek in Egg Harbor Twp. with an open house during National Health Center Week. The celebration included tours of the 15,000-square-foot facility with 18 exam rooms for pediatric, family medicine and women’s health appointments. The site also includes a behavioral health suite. The event was well attended by SJFMC employees, community partners and Atlantic County Elected Officials, who continuously show their support for SJFMC’s mission of providing quality health care to underserved and uninsured residents in southern Jersey. The site began operation on October 20, 2017.

SJFMC Celebrates National Health Center Week 2018

National Health Center Week celebrations were scheduled from August 12-18 with a series of community events. This year’s theme was, “Celebrating Health Centers: Home of America’s Health Care Heroes.” The week kicked off with our “Honoring Health Center Heroes” luncheon at all eight of our health center sites. Our heroes were revealed and celebrated at the lunch after being nominated by their peers through site-wide elections. The top winner with the most votes became our 2018 Super Hero. This year ended with a two-way tie between two motivated employees. The excitement continued throughout the week with four health fairs, complete with free immunizations, dental screenings, blood pressure and glucose testing, entertainment, community partners, back-to-school book bag giveaways, food and much more in all three of the counties we serve: Burlington, Atlantic and Salem. Our SJFMC Salem City event, in collaboration with the community development organization Stand Up For Salem, attracted more than 200 residents. The next day about 250 people filled the parking lot of our Merle Pavilion Health Fair in Pleasantville for our annual event. We culminated the week with two health fairs in both Burlington and Atlantic Counties. Our Burlington City Center attracted more than 300 patients and community partners and our Atlantic City sites hosted more than 500 attendees. Health Center Heroes showed their superpowers while sporting their costumes at all of our events, creating quite an experience for all in attendance. Thanks to all our managed care organizations, Horizon NJ Health, United Healthcare, WellCare and Amerigroup, for providing monetary donations and outreach services. We also appreciate all of our community partners and SJFMC employees and Health Center Heroes who supported our efforts. Go TEAM! SJFMC also held an open house celebration with distinguished guests at our newest center, Southern Jersey at English Creek in Egg Harbor Township.

SJFMC COO Educates Burlington County Health Consumers on 53rd Medicaid Anniversary

SJMFC COO Esther Carpenter was a panelist at the New Jersey Citizen’s Action “Medicare/Medicaid: Are They At Risk?” event held at the Burlington County Public Library on the 53rd anniversary of these critically important public health programs. Panelists addressed the impact the programs have had, the state of these programs in New Jersey, the people they serve and what’s at risk (for individuals, our health care system and our state budget) should budget cuts and other proposals in Congress be enacted.

SJFMC’s Free Community Baby Shower Connects Pregnant and New Moms with Resources and Gifts for Their New Additions

By: Jenny Wagner Burlington County Times, Staff Writer Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers hosts the free event to provide pregnant women and moms of newborns with access to quality care, and to ensure they have information and resources “all babies have an equal chance to live and thrive,” officials said. BURLINGTON CITY — At just 1 month old, Ares Morris is an eater and a sleeper and has already put himself on a schedule, according to his mom, Amani Morris. The Burlington City resident said her doctor provided her with great care and lots of information during her pregnancy and after her son was born. But she was excited to learn more to pass along to her husband and other new moms during a community baby shower Friday at Tabernacle Baptist Church. “It’s very helpful,” she said. “There’s a lot of people who are not fortunate enough to have clinics like this, and to come out and to get information.” Morris was referring to Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers, which hosts the free event to provide pregnant women and moms of newborns with access to quality care, and to ensure they have information and resources they need so “all babies have an equal chance to live and thrive,” officials said. “It’s truly a one-stop shop for local resources, and it’s also a fun event to celebrate the new life they are bringing into the world,” said Linda Flake, president and CEO of SJFMC. The shower featured speakers from SJFMC’s women’s health services, UnitedHealthcare and the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department’s car seat safety program, and information tables where women could connect with local organizations and agencies. Women also had a chance to win baby gear including strollers, car seats, clothes and more. “I think it’s nice that Burlington County or pregnant women have the chance to get the help and care they need,” said Jeanie Rossi, of Lumberton, whose daughter, Olivia, is due to arrive in two weeks. “I think it’s nice that there’s people here trying to help us.” Funding for the event came from the Improving Pregnancy Outcomes grant through the New Jersey Department of Health, which also recently announced it will award $4.3 million to up to 12 grantees statewide to intensify efforts to reduce disparities in birth outcomes and black infant mortality. State data shows the mortality rate for black infants is more than three times that of white infants. “We want to try a different approach because key maternal and child health indicators have not improved over decades in the state, and significant racial and ethnic disparities persist,” health department Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal said in an announcement about the funding. Flake said SJFMC is working to reduce the disparities by ensuring women have early access to prenatal care that includes information and resources like those offered at the shower, as well as postpartum care, which soon will follow new recommendations that women visit their OB/GYN within the first three weeks after delivery, rather than six. “It is a very difficult question to answer,” Flake said when asked about what is contributing to the disparity. “There are many factors, but one cannot ignore the role racism plays in these disparities. Societal stressors that are a part of life for an African-American woman have a detrimental impact on their lives and the lives of their infants.” Link to original article: http://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20180511/community-baby-shower-aims-to-provide-pregnant-women-new-moms-with-resources

Longtime SJFMC President/CEO Linda Y. Flake Receives NAACP Health Award

The Atlantic City Branch of the NAACP honored Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers’ (SJFMC) President/CEO Linda Y. Flake during the 46th Annual Freedom Fund Breakfast. Flake received the Health Award in recognition of her tireless dedication to eliminating disparities in health care. Five other individuals received awards for their work in the fields of business, education, environmental protection and community service. The theme, “We Will Not Be Silent,” called for community members to support and encourage one another in their respective fields. Congratulations to Ms. Flake for this well-deserved honor. We appreciate all you have done to carry on the mission of FQHCs in New Jersey and across the country! To read the Atlantic City Press article about the awards ceremony, please visit here.

The Cliff is Fixed! Congress Passes Bipartisan Budget Package With Health Center Funding

Congress passed a bipartisan spending package that included an additional two years of funding for Community Health Centers, the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and the Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Program. To add to the good news, we’re also happy to report that health center funding will increase by $600 million over the two-year period; specifically, the Community Health Center Fund will increase from $3.6 billion per year to $3.8 billion in FY18 and $4.0 billion in FY19. For a more in-depth look at what was included in the spending package, please click here.

SJFMC Advocates for the 24 Million who rely on Health Centers During Red Alert – A National Day of Demonstration in Washington

By: Toni Granato, New Jersey Primary Care Association Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) patients, doctors, nurses and other advocates will be in Washington, D.C. for a national press conference to discuss the urgent need to reinstate FQHC funding. The “Day of Demonstration -Red Alert for Community Health Centers” Fly-In press conference was held on Tuesday, February 6 at 10:30 AM. The press conference took place at the Capitol Triangle (outside the Capitol Building). Since 1965, FQHCs (also known as Community Health Centers) have served our communities by providing the medically underserved quality, cost-effective and efficient primary health care. The primary goal of the Fly-In Day is to ensure that Congress keeps Health Center funding at the top of their “must-do” priority list as part of their work to keep the government open past February 8. FQHCs from New Jersey are meeting with their representatives today to ensure funding is reinstated. “We are talking about our neighbors. Over 200,000 New Jerseyans stand to lose their ability to get care if funding is not renewed,” says New Jersey Primary Care Association President and CEO Jillian Hudspeth. “Community Health Centers provide preventative and primary care to over 500,000 people in our state, keeping people healthy every day. Without funding from the federal government, Health Centers will have to cut staff, shorten hours and even cut services. People who do not have access to primary care will be forced to go to the emergency room for their health care needs at taxpayers’ expense.” Although Community Health Centers have existed for over 50 years, the Community Health Center Fund (CHCF) was recently established in the Affordable Care Act in 2010 and was extended in 2015 for an additional two years. Congress failed to reauthorize the fund before its expiration on September 30, 2017, leaving Community Health Centers in limbo for the past several months as the Centers wait for Congress to extend the more than 70 percent of federal grant funding that Health Centers rely on. If funding is not restored, Community Health Centers in New Jersey stand to lose over $56 million in federal funding in 2018. The estimated number of patients not able to receive care would be 213,000 people, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers. A brief issued by George Washington University and RCHN Community Health Center stated that without funding, New Jersey would lose between $212 million and $453 million. New Jersey would lose between 2,000 and 4,000 jobs. “Neglecting to provide funding for Community Health Centers will have a disastrous impact upon our Health Center,” says Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers President/CEO Linda Flake. “If the cliff is not fixed, services that are vital to the communities we serve may be cut by at least 20 percent! I am talking about primary medical, dental and behavioral health care that is provided to the most vulnerable populations. Patients will be forced to seek treatment at hospital emergency rooms, at best, a much costlier alternative. There will be drastic cuts in staff as well! Health Centers are required by regulation to establish a budget at the beginning of the fiscal year. How can we responsibly handle our operations with this uncertainty that impacts significantly upon our future stability as a safety net provider? The simple answer is, we can’t. The cliff must be fixed.”

SJFMC Celebrates 40 years of Commitment, Compassion and Care with Fundraising Gala in Atlantic City

Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers celebrated its rich 40-year legacy during the Ruby Gala/Fundraiser on November 11, 2017 at One Atlantic in Atlantic City. Supporters from across the state and beyond joined forces to recognize SJFMC’S 40 years of “Commitment, Compassion, and Care for South Jersey Families.” Honored at the event were Past President, Kathy Rigby, for 25 years of voluntary board service and President/CEO, Linda Y. Flake for 25 years of unwavering leadership and dedication as the chief executive leader. Flake said, “While many things have changed over time, the most important things have not! SJFMC has remained steadfast in our belief in our mission and our unwavering commitment to remove barriers to care and provide quality care to the underserved and migrant/seasonal farmworkers regardless of ability to pay. The proceeds generated by the gracious generosity of donors will be used to purchase medications for our uninsured patients and for this, we are sincerely grateful.” The monumental occasion was hosted by Dr. Michael Cirigliano, FOX29 “Good Day Philadelphia” Medical Contributor and practicing Internist at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.