Community Health

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has a clearly stated commitment to community service and the improvement of community health as one of it's four core missions. The Office of Community Health, headed by the Senior Associate Dean for Community Health, as responsibility for the development, implementation and oversight of many of the school's community health initiatives.

The most prominent community health activity at RWJMS is the Eric B. Chandler Health Center, a federally funded community health center that is owned and operated by the medical school in collaboration with a community board. The center provides primary care in the disciplines of internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics. Other services include specialized care in HIV/AIDS, preventive and restorative dental care, podiatry, nutritional counseling, patient education, and social services. Chandler Health Center serves as a major teaching site for medical students and residents in pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine and family medicine. The center provides care to over 10,000 patients doing nearly 40,000 medical and dental encounters per year.

In October 2002, the Healthier New Brunswick 2010 Initiative (HNBI 2010) was launched as a collaborative effort of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, New Brunswick Tomorrow, and the City of New Brunswick. This longitudinal community based initiative has a mission to improve the health of New Brunswick's children and generations beyond. Using a holistic philosophy HNBI 2010 seeks to develop and implement projects that will help to insure a nurturing, safe and healthy environment in children's homes, neighborhoods, schools, and within the city as a whole. The project is overseen by the Community Health Advisory Group that is made up of over 60 representatives from local community and faith based organizations, educational institutions, governmental agencies, and health care institutions. The project director for Healthier New Brunswick 2010 is Denise V. Rodgers, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Community Health at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Currently, the four focus areas for the initiative are: Lead Poisoning Prevention, Childhood Obesity Prevention, Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention, and Substance Abuse Prevention and Mental Health Promotion.

Since 1995, medical students at RWJMS has engaged in a variety of community health activities under the auspices of the Homeless and Indigent Populations Health and Outreach Project (HIPHOP). Students from HIPHOP provide health education to elementary and middle school students, they provide school supplies for indigent children in the community, each winter they collect winter coats and clothes for those in need, they do basic health screenings and patient education at Elijah's Promise Soup Kitchen in New Brunswick, and they see patients at the St. John's Health Center. HIPHOP students are also involved in a number of educational activities during which time they shadow expectant mothers or patients newly diagnosed with cancer. HIPHOP is divided into Project HIPHOP for the occasional volunteer or ITP HIPHOP for those who wish to integrate community service into their medical school curriculum.

In January 2005, medical students at RWJMS launched the Promise Clinic, a student run volunteer clinic focused on serving the clients of Elijah's Promise Soup Kitchen. The Promise Clinic operates one evening per week, with precepting and oversight provided by volunteer faculty attendings.

The Healthcare Outreach Project (HOP) Clinic is a primary care center run by the third year medical students of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School - Camden .  This project was student initiated in 2000. The goal of this project is to provide free healthcare and medications to the uninsured population of Camden .

Several departments at the medical school are also involved in community health activities. The Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine has provided community based environmental education for many years. The department is also involved in a collaborative research and education project in the city of Trenton in collaboration with Isles, Inc., a community based organization. The Department of Family Medicine has a long history of involvement in community health activities. The department also houses the Center for Health Families and Cultural Diversity. The Center for Healthy Families and Cultural Diversity (CHFCD) was established in the 1997-98 academic year, and is dedicated to leadership, advocacy, and excellence in promoting culturally-responsive, quality health care for diverse populations. It has evolved from a program focused primarily on multicultural education and training for health professionals, to an expanded and growing resource for technical assistance, consultation, and research/evaluation services.