The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey

This morning, Newark's Lincoln Elementary inaugurated a new era of healthy play for its students and community, with a ribbon cutting for a new green playground. HFNJ's Board Chair Amy Schechner joined a roster of state and local officials, community members, and funders in providing opening remarks. The playground was created by Trust for Public Land based on a community-led design process. The beautiful new space includes gardens, trees, play areas, plant beds, and will contribute to the health and well-being of the surrounding community for years to come by providing a green space for recreation and learning.

For our third quarterly grant cycle of 2024, we're delighted to announce that HFNJ has awarded $2,417,304 to eighteen nonprofit partners. Grantees this quarter include: Newark Community Street Team Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association Golda Och Academy Table to Table Rutgers School of Dental Medicine Make the Road New Jersey Planned Parenthood of Northern, Central, and Southern New Jersey Zufall Health Bridges Outreach, Inc. NJY Camps Greater Newark Conservancy JFS of Metrowest Learn more about our third quarter grantees and their projects here: https://lnkd.in/ef7kafWQ

Earlier this week, staff and trustees of The Healthcare Foundation of NJ were honored to be on hand for the dedication of the expanded Littman Family Memory Center at the JCC of MetroWest. Through a $294,739, three-year grant from HFNJ (the first multi-year grant awarded in our history), this program will expand to give compassionate care to more seniors with moderate dementia, while also providing much-needed respite for caregivers. HFNJ's Board Chair Amy Schechner and Executive Director/CEO Michael Schmidt gave remarks noting HFNJ's and JCC of MetroWest's long history together and shared values of compassionate and humanistic care. We know that the expanded Littman Center will continue in this proud tradition and help many seniors facing dementia and their families lives healthier, happier lives.

🚑 Jewish Link magazine has published an article on The Healthcare Foundation of NJ's recent $26,911 grant to Hatzalah of MetroWest ambulance squad. The grant funded the purchase of two Lifeline ARM auto-chest compression devices. These devices provide life-saving care during cardiac arrests, when a patient’s chance of survival falls 7-10% for every minute of delay without high-quality, uninterrupted compressions. READ - https://lnkd.in/eHxd7jtf

Congratulations to the 24 educators at local synagogues who completed their first teacher training yesterday on Youth Mental Health First Aid. Earlier this year, HFNJ awarded Temple B'Nai Jeshurun a $90,196 grant to support "One Community, One Goal" - a project to train more educators, teens, and families on how to provide mental health support. This training is part of HFNJ's larger initiative in 2024 to strengthen the mental health supports available to young people in Greater MetroWest, NJ.

This year, HFNJ has focused on giving organizations that work with young people the tools they need to address the youth mental health crisis. That is why we are pleased to announce a $22,443 grant to The Gem Project to train up to 150 youth-serving professionals in Newark in Mental Health First Aid. The training and certification program will give participants the skills to recognize signs and symptoms of mental health issues, listen non-judgmentally, and refer individuals to appropriate professional support and services. READ MORE: https://lnkd.in/e8DdMu8C #behavioralhealth #mentalhealthfirstaid

Thank you to the Mental Health Association for joining The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey to start our day with a training for staff, trustees, and community partners on QPR suicide prevention training.

We are pleased to share that The Healthcare Foundation of NJ has awarded $1,723,986 to fifteen nonprofit organizations in our second quarterly grant cycle of 2024. The health needs - physical and emotional - of young people feature prominently in this quarter's grants, with several projects focused on helping institutions provide integrated care to meet their needs. See the full list of grantees and learn more about the projects here: https://lnkd.in/dJcFBPnE

SAVE A LIFE! The Healthcare Foundation of NJ has a few, limited slots available to our NJ nonprofit partners for a complimentary, in-person training on preventing youth suicide. The training will be held at our office in Millburn, NJ on Wednesday, July 10 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. At the training, attendees will learn Youth QPR - a nationally-used, evidence-based emergency response to young persons in crisis.  Find details on how to sign up here: https://lnkd.in/dZCrXzf3 #suicideprevention #youthmentalhealth

We are honored to be mentioned by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka in an Op-ed in NJ Spotlight News about the successes that Newark has experienced by investing in strategies to end chronic homelessness. He details the importance of public-private partnerships - including a recent grant from The Healthcare Foundation of NJ to offer advanced training for homeless shelter staff to better meet the multi-faceted needs of those they serve. Read the Op-ed: https://lnkd.in/exZX_Wsp #homelessness #chronichomelessness