IFH Community Newsletter July/August 2020

BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FROM THE RUTGERS INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH, HEALTH CARE POLICY AND AGING RESEARCH

The Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research eagerly shares the July/August 2020
edition of the Community Outreach Newsletter. This second issue highlights our collaborations with our
community partners. As COVID-19 limits our personal contact, our virtual experiences have been well
attended and received while community engagements extended to outdoor events. Readers will find this
newsletter offers insight on our outreach and support and provides a tangible approach to further connect with
the community.

Center for Asian Health’s Outstanding Outreach Outdoors

Congratulations to the Center for Asian Health (CAH) at Saint Barnabas Medical Center for leading their first
outdoor event during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the support of community partners, their celebration of the
10th year of World Hepatitis Day included giveaways and presentations. Caregivers at the Liver Center and
CAH offered education to visiting local residents as well as free hepatitis B and C screenings and FIT (fecal
immunochemical test) home test kits for colon cancer screening. Dr. Su Wang, medical director of CAH, shared
lessons learned from COVID-19 and Hepatitis, which aired live on CAH's Facebook page. One of the satisfied
attendees shared that he came to get FIT kits for his parents at home, and really appreciated the opportunity
and convenience of the event that helped his parent caregiving. This year’s World Hepatitis Day is past us,
however our fight for “NOHep” will continue! -Contributed by Nannan Wang, CAH Community Liaison

Health Disparities and Health Care Coverage Forum

Rutgers Institute for Health collaborated with NAACP New Jersey State
Conference and New Jersey Citizen Action to present an online
community forum on health disparities and health care coverage
during COVID-19. NAACP New Jersey State Conference initiated the
conversation of the forum and welcomed the collaboration. Institute for
Health leaders, Dr. XinQi Dong, Dr. Stephen Crystal, Dr. Joel Cantor,
and Tamara Horn discussed the importance of presenting the forum,
and explained how research and policy reform help improve health
equity in New Jersey, especially for Black and brown communities.
Moderator Dr. Christina Johnson, a family medicine physician at
Maplewood Family Medicine, gave personal insight as a front-
line worker and led the discussion with awareness of
connecting with community members during COVID-19.

Continued on Page 2
Health Disparities from Page 1
Maura Collinsgru of New Jersey Citizen Action shared information
about health care coverage options, including Medicaid, and enrollment
resources for people in New Jersey, as well as a new enrollment
website launching in the state later this year. The event was
broadcast live on New Jersey Citizen Action’s Facebook page and
the video can be viewed there. Feedback revealed the forum was
inspiring, informative, and engaging.

Living Your Best Life Virtually

Congratulations to Rutgers University-Newark’s Office of University-
Community Partnerships and Advocates for Healthy Living Initiative for
piloting “Living Your Best Life Virtually." An awarded seed grant of
$10,000 from the Rutgers Global Health Institute supported the
five-week series of virtual sessions which focused on maintaining the
health and wellness of older adults during the COVID-19
pandemic. Assistant Chancellor Diane Hill was the visionary of the
series, which ran from July 6 to August 7, 2020, and offered a variety of
programs to keep seniors engaged. With Themed Meditation,
Motivation and Music Mondays, Wellness Workshop Wednesdays,
and Fun, Fitness & Food Fridays, the series was a success. Institute
for Health Director XinQi Dong joined a panel of fellow Rutgers research
experts on July 22 to discuss “The Importance of Research.” The
panelists provided general information about how research is
conducted and specific answers to community members' questions
about participation. Feedback revealed it was one of many well-received
sessions during the series.

Panelists (clockwise from top right): Francis Dixon, executive director of social services, New Hope Baptist
Church; Dr. Shawna Hudson, professor and research division chief, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School; Dr. XinQi Dong, director, Institute for Health; (bottom left) Evelyn Fuertes, community
cancer control specialist, Screen NJ; Dr. Jose Centeno, professor, Rutgers School of Health Professions; and
Dr. Diane Hill, assistant chancellor, Rutgers University-Newark.

Regional Community Advisory Boards Launched

In June, the Institute for Health launched three Regional Community Advisory Boards to inform our community
outreach and research recruitment efforts. In the introductory meetings, board members in the Northern,
Central, and Southern regions of the state learned about each other’s professions and received background
information on the importance and goals of the group. Through research initiatives together, we aim to
improve health and well-being and address disparities in New Jersey’s diverse populations. Pictures below
mirror the diversity of the boards as they represent nearly half of the 25 members. Thank you all for your time!

Community Conversations About
COVID-19 Vaccinations
Institute for Health Director of Community Outreach
Tamara Horn, and Research Coordinator Dan
Dytchwald are cofacilitating community focus groups
about COVID-19 with community members who
volunteer to offer their thoughts and opinions. The
groups have been culturally diverse and offer the
opportunity to engage in communal conversations and
respectfully share different views and experiences.
Participants discuss important health and safety
concerns of COVID-19 and offer understanding of
individual and collective needs for returning from social
distancing. Common topics included in the
conversations cover testing, antibodies, participating in
clinical trials, and taking vaccinations. One participant
referred to the group as a reminder that despite our
differences, “we’re all in this together.” Depending on
the size, the groups last approximately one hour.
Focus groups on COVID-19 will continue throughout
the month of August and into September. We would
love to hear from you and/or your organization.
Sign up here: https://go.rutgers.edu/uuc6gsu9.
Dates to Remember
August:
Children's Eye Health and Safety Month
National Breastfeeding Month
National Immunization Awareness Month
September:
Healthy Aging Month
National Recovery Month
Newborn Screening Awareness Month
Partner With Us!
To partner with IFH on events and community engagement efforts, please
complete our form at https://forms.gle/hr8gymMXArpDvqKn8.
Stay tuned to our community outreach efforts by signing up for this newsletter at
https://go.rutgers.edu/IFHCommunityNews.
Learn more about the New Jersey Population Health Collaborative, and our
partnerships and resources at https://ifh.rutgers.edu/community.
Send questions or comments to community@ifh.rutgers.edu.
Follow us on social media @RutgersIFH
Institute for Health 'In the News'
Faculty and staff routinely offer their expertise
on important topics in the news. Here are
some recent articles to check out:
Director of Community Outreach Tamara Horn
writes that “we must be vigilant in combating
racism at the same time we battle coronavirus”
in an op-ed in the The Star-Ledger/NJ.com:
https://bit.ly/3abIGSx.
Director Dr. XinQi Dong comments on the
difficult considerations to weigh when deciding
to see grandparents during the pandemic
for Romper: https://bit.ly/3kycCwU.
Nir Eyal, director of the Center for Population-
Level Bioethics, comments on the ethics of a
human challenge trial for a COVID-19
vaccine for the New York Times:
https://nyti.ms/3abZqsN.
InsiderNJ https://bit.ly/3kE6C5V highlights the
appointment of lighting and health expert
Mariana Figueiro to serve as director of the
new Center for Healthy Aging at the
Institute for Health, and chief of the new
Division of Sleep and Circadian Medicine at
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Survey/Data Core Director Dr.
Lawrence Kleinman, a pediatrician and
researcher at Rutgers Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School, comments on
the impacts of COVID-19 on minority
children for U.S. News & World Report:
https://bit.ly/2PHN6ag.