Benefits of Regional Health Hubs
by Trenton Health Team Executive Director Gregory Paulson testified today before the Assembly Budget Committee, urging policymakers to formally designate THT and other regional health partnerships as “Regional Health Hubs” and to maintain state funding in the FY 20 budget. This would be the first step toward implementing a Regional Health Hub program under Medicaid serving low-income residents in Trenton, Camden, Newark and Paterson.
“Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you this afternoon. The Trenton Health Team is an innovative multi-sector partnership dedicated to the health and well-being of the greater Trenton community. We were founded in 2005 by Trenton’s healthcare delivery system, specifically Capital Health, St. Francis Medical Center, Henry J. Austin Health Center, and the City of Trenton’s Department of Health and Human Services. Since then, our partnership has expanded to include even more healthcare organizations and more than 100 community-based and faith-based organizations that play a role in supporting our community’s health and well-being. We are now an organization of 25 dedicated staff and a nearly $4M annual budget.
We know our healthcare system is fragmented. In our professional and personal lives, it is likely that we have all experienced it. Hospitals and doctors try to provide the best care for their patients. Community organizations provide food, shelter, wellness services, and social supports for their clients. Residents try to support their families and neighbors. What brings it all together? How do we align and coordinate services for a better patient experience, improved outcomes, and efficiencies that reduce cost?
An innovative infrastructure to do just that was created in Trenton, Camden, and Newark under the NJ Medicaid ACO Demonstration Project, passed in 2011. While it was originally conceived as an “Accountable Care Organization,” we, as well as our sister organization in Paterson, have evolved into Regional Health Hubs. We have become effective structures that integrate and align all the disconnected programs that are working to make our communities healthier, with a particular focus on our residents who receive healthcare coverage through Medicaid and often don’t have access to the resources they need to be and stay healthy.
We applaud the state’s support for local, community-based innovation, and we are encouraged by the Legislature’s efforts to improve the delivery and quality of healthcare in New Jersey. In fact, New Jersey is rapidly becoming a national model for how communities can come together to tackle our shared health challenges.
As you consider the FY 2020 budget, we urge you to continue funding for the Regional Health Hub model in Trenton, Camden, Newark, and Paterson with a state appropriation of $1.5 million. That continuing appropriation, which would represent the fourth consecutive year of level funding, will leverage a 1-for-1 Federal match and allow the State to expand upon the learnings of the Medicaid ACO Demonstration Project and formally designate the first four Regional Health Hubs in Trenton, Camden, Newark, and Paterson… (Read more)
