South Jersey To See $2M In Funding For Coronavirus Testing

Health centers based in lower-income communities in South Jersey will receive $2,082,226 in federal funding to combat the coronavirus pandemic, Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1) announced.

It is part of a total of $11,127,936 for the state of New Jersey from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to expand testing for the coronavirus at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) across the state.

“In order to safely begin reopening South Jersey and the rest of the state, we must increase and expand testing,” Norcross said. “Testing is critical in mitigating the spread of the virus and protecting our residents and communities from the spread. I will continue fighting for federal funding to increase testing capabilities and protect South Jersey families and workers.”

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The breakdown of which FQHCs will receive money is as follows:

• $905,944 to the Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers, Inc., with locations in Atlantic City, Burlington, Egg Harbor Township, Hammonton, Pleasantville and Salem;
• $674,164 to CAMcare Health Corporation, with locations in Camden, Clementon and Paulsboro;
• $318,604 to Osborn Family Health Center, Inc. in Camden; and
• $183,514 to Project H.O.P.E. in Camden.

As of Tuesday, there were 4,924 cases of coronavirus reported in Camden County, with 230 fatalities. Camden has the most cases of any municipality, with 1,228. There have been 22 deaths in Camden, the third most in Camden County behind Cherry Hill (80) and Voorhees (54).
County officials have expressed concerns about the number of cases in Camden, opening two coronavirus testing sites there. They are located at:

2600 Mount Ephraim Avenue in South Camden
Camden Division of Motor Vehicles parking lot
Noon to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday

3101 Federal Street in East Camden
Dudley Grange Park
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday

“Our state and nation cannot safely and responsibly begin to lift stay-at-home orders and reopen our economy until we expand our testing capabilities,” U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) said. “This funding will allow our FQHCs to continue caring for the most vulnerable in our communities and ensure they can test their patients. I appreciate Gov. Murphy’s leadership during this difficult time and will continue working to secure the federal resources our state needs to combat the virus, support our families and small businesses and boost our economy.”

“Expanding New Jersey’s testing capabilities is not only critical to the health and safety of our residents, but also to getting our economy moving again,” U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said. “Our community health centers provide vital health care services to some of our most underserved communities and play an important role in our larger effort to contain the spread of this virus and protecting all New Jerseyans.”

A full list of NJ FQHCs receiving funding can be found here.

Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know