HFNJ Initiatives
The Healthcare Foundation of NJ periodically initiates special projects, offering technical assistance or facilitating models of care in health arenas that are ripe for strategic support. Several examples are noted below.
  • The Healthcare Foundation Center for Humanistic Medicine within New Jersey Medical School
Funded in 2003 with a commitment to scholarship and an endowment of $3.2 million, this center for medical education - the first of its kind in the nation - trains future physicians to impart compassion, cultural sensitivity, and humanistic approaches to their practice of quality medical care.
  • The Lester Z. Lieberman Humanism in Healthcare Award
This program was begun in 1997 to recognize hospital employees, nursing students, and faculty in positions of direct patient care who demonstrate extraordinary compassion and kindness in their treatment of patients and families. Participation is invited from hospitals, long term care facilities and nursing schools in the region. Each honoree receives a $500 award and a Certificate of Recognition and is honored at an annual gala.In 2009 there were 37 honorees.
  • Early Childhood Mental Health Promotion & Access Initiative
A well-documented need to support the healthy social and emotional development of the area’s most vulnerable young children led to this three-year, $1.5 million signature demonstration project of The Healthcare Foundation.
As part of the project, three neighborhood-based behavioral health programs were funded: two in Newark, and one in Irvington. Each program increases access to behavioral health services by providing a model of direct service within preschool, toddler, or infant care settings, as well as ongoing training and consultation for professional and family caregivers.
A cross-program evaluation conducted by the Institute for Families, Rutgers School of Social Work, is currently underway. As a result of this study, we hope to identify and publicize best practices, and ultimately affect public policy and elevate standards of care for young children and their families throughout the area.
  • Newark School-Based Health Centers
Now in their tenth year, Newark public school-based health centers located in five Newark public schools offer easy access to full service primary care for infants and children up to age 21. The centers were recently converted into federally qualified health centers, and some have added behavioral health to their menu of services offered.
Technical Assistance for Grantees & Applicants
The Foundation periodically develops and conducts workshops for current and prospective grantees on such topics as how to write a successful proposal and how to evaluate your project’s effectiveness, or to encourage collaborations between agencies doing similar work. Upcoming workshop topics and dates are publicized on this website when they have been scheduled.