Community Health Center gets $12k in federal funds
Money will be used to produce educational materials for patients
Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. announced Wednesday the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey Community Health Center [VNACJ] will receive $12,258 in funding for recognition of health center quality improvement achievements and ongoing quality improvement activities.
Pallone is the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.
“I am pleased the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey Community Health Center was recognized for their work to improve health care delivery systems in order to bring about the highest quality of primary care services to residents of Asbury Park,” said Pallone. “Having just visited the health center in October, I saw directly how hard the staff works to make sure every dollar is put to good use providing services to the community.”
There was no specific project the funds were earmarked for, according to VNACJ Interim Executive Director JoAnne Ruden, who said she was “pleased” Pallone was able to secure the funds. Center executives have decided the money will go to enhancing patient education materials to help improve clients’ self-management and health outcomes, she told the Sun Friday. Education materials topics may include the importance of preventative medicine, such as regular cancer screenings, or breast-examinations and pap smears for women.
It also gives the center the opportunity to have materials made available in different languages to better serve their diverse clientele, she said.
“We’re really looking at it kind of broadly so we have the materials for when people come to see any of our providers,” Ruden said.
The VNACJ Center, located at 1301 Main St., served 9,516 patients in 2013, she said. Some of those visits included are return patient or follow-up appointment.
Funding is provided by supplemental funding in the Affordable Care Act through the U.S. Health Resources Services Administration HRSA. It is for use during the period of Dec. 1, 2014, through Nov. 30, 2015.
For more information about the VNACJ Community Health Center, visit vnachc.org.
[Photo at top taken from the VNACJ Community Health Center Facebook page.]
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