Health Care Services

•  Community Outreach Development:
  American Asian Indian Outreach
  American Asian Indian Outreach is a coalition-building
  outreach plan for New Jersey that was developed as a
  collaborative effort between the Asian Indian community
  and UMDNJ. The aim of this initiative is to help improve
  access to diabetes care, provide sustainable educational
  outcomes and eliminate health disparities among this unique
  and under-reported population. The NJ Coalition to Eliminate
  Health Disparities among South Asians is one project effort
  under the American Asian Indian Outreach Initiative. The project is currently sponsored
  by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), formally known as the Health Care
  Financing Administration (HCFA), while being carriedout by UMDNJ’s Center for Continuing and Outreach Education, Special Initiatives division (COE-SI).
  
  The project scope of work entails collecting baseline information on the health status, behavior, and risk for chronic disease (especially diabetes and CAD) among Asian Indians through community health surveys and blood testing to determine hemoglobin A1c, lipid profile, and fasting blood glucose levels and anthropometrical measurements. This cohort of community members actively participates by means of a convenience sample at health fairs held at social events, temples, and other community activities. In addition, educational intervention is provided through culturally and linguistically appropriate materials on diabetes and preventive cardiac care.
  Contact: Center for Continuing and Outreach Education at UMDNJ
  
  http://ccoe.umdnj.edu/

• New Jersey Statewide Network For Cultural Competence
  The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is participating in the development of the New Jersey Statewide Network for Cultural Competence. The mission of the network is “to strengthen culturally competent services in the State of New Jersey for people with diverse needs, and to facilitate access by individuals, families, providers and professionals to these services. People with diverse needs are defined as “those with varying abilities and disabilities, cultures, languages, and social and health care needs.” The Coalition includes partners from the NJ Department of Human Services, the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services, and a variety of disability networks and organizations. Three major projects of the Coalition at present are: (1) coordination of a listserv to share ideas, resources, and training opportunities in cultural competence within New Jersey; (2) an organizational survey to determine expertise in serving people with diverse needs from various cultural backgrounds, and (3) the development of a web site about the Coalition that would also house results from the survey.
  Contact: Bill Gaventa, The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities
  at UMDNJ/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS), at 732-235-9304,
  email: bill.gaventa@umdnj.edu or go to The Boggs Center website
  
  http://rwjms.umdnj.edu/boggscenter

• Governor's Hispanic Advisory Council for Policy Development
  Through Executive Order # 17, Governor James E. McGreevey created the Governor's Hispanic Advisory Council for Policy Development (HAC) on April 11, 2002. This Council advises the governor on substantive policy issues that affect the Hispanic community in New Jersey, including, but not limited to, the areas of health, education, urban revitalization, and employment. Within 90 days of its first meeting, the Council developed a working plan that outlined the major policy concerns of the Latino community. The Hispanic Advisory Council received valuable insights and assistance from the many individuals and organizations that participated in this process. The HAC has put together a report that contains recommendations addressing the most pressing concerns in the areas of education, economic development, and health, as well as expanding access and improving services for the Hispanic community throughout the state. Contact: NJDHSS, Office of Minority and Multicultural Health
  
  http://www.state.nj.us/health/commiss/omh/index.shtml