New Blogs Highlight COVID-19 Community Work
New Jersey Health Initiatives is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. NJHI is dedicated to supporting innovations and driving conversations to build healthier New Jersey communities.
Trenton Health Team is proud of NJHI support through the Upstream Action Acceleration grant, as well as the Communities Moving to Action grant. Our recent NJHI blogs focused on our community’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Convening is Key During COVID-19 notes that THT has been serving our city for more than a decade, working with partners to improve health and well-being. “Yet the importance of this role has never been more clear than today, as our community confronts COVID-19.
“As one of New Jersey’s first Regional Health Hubs, THT works closely with the county and city, health care providers and social service agencies. The Trenton Health Information Exchange (HIE) is tracking COVID-19 test results and THT is training new NowPow clients as service providers seek reliable service referral information to meet the unprecedented demand for help.
“THT is responding to the need for expanded community services by hosting weekly online meetings for our Community Advisory Board members and other social service providers. We are reaching out to existing partners and engaging new organizations, attracting dozens of participants and then distributing information and coordinating resources…
“COVID-19 has changed our world, our nation and our city. But even as we stay home, our community is coming together and THT is here to help.” Read the full THT blog
COVID-19 Adds Food Access Challenges describes the important and lasting work of the Trenton Food Stakeholders Group. The Group, convened by the THT in February 2019 to improve food access and nutrition across the city, now is confronting increased food insecurity prompted by the health and economic crisis related to COVID-19.
Trenton Food Stakeholders now includes more than 35 partners organized into work groups focusing on 1) economic development, 2) policy and advocacy, 3) food banks and pantries, and 4) cooking/nutrition education.
“Together, we are collaborating and sharing resources, identifying gaps in food access and information, creating new connections between different parts of the food supply and distribution network to fill those gaps, mobilizing resources to fill immediate supply and capacity needs and coordinating information between organizations and the public…
“THT believes this systems-level work not only helps meet community needs today, but also will improve equitable food access beyond the current crisis.” Read the full THT blog