Public Health Clinic Opens At East Side High School In Newark

NEWARK, NJ — A new public health clinic opened this week at a school in Newark, boosting affordable health care in the Ironbound neighborhood of the city.

The Saint James Health Center at East Side High School is located at 69 Pulaski Street. It has its own separate public entrance, and offers patients primary care services such as pediatrics, adult medicine, vaccines and physicals, as well as access to trained social workers and assistance with insurance enrollment.

The new clinic is a partnership between Saint James Health Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and RWJBarnabas Health, in collaboration with the City of Newark and Newark Public Schools.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Thursday. As part of the event, RWJBarnabas Health sponsored a free giveaway outside East Side High School, providing local kids with more than 1,000 backpacks filled with essential school supplies.

“Health care is incredibly important,” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said, adding that there are “disparities” in access to care that challenge some neighborhoods within Newark and surrounding communities.

“The partnership between RWJBarnabas Health and Saint James Health, along with other private and public relationships, is so important,” Baraka said. “It’s not competition, it’s collaboration. Affordable health care that is accessible to our residents is exactly what we need.”

The new clinic at East Side High School is part of a broader effort by RWJBarnabas Health, which is funded through the Our Healthy Newark appropriation from the state of New Jersey. The campaign aims to “address health equity in vulnerable, historically underserved communities and the social determinants that impact health outcomes, including access to transportation, primary care facilities, safe housing, affordable medications, healthy foods, and other socio-economic factors.”

The initiative includes linking a core group of FQHCs to hospital electronic medical records systems, embedding community health workers to help patients navigate care, recruiting medical specialists who will expand care provided at local clinics, and addressing community social determinants of health on-site or close by.

In February, as part of the same “Our Healthy Newark” initiative, RWJBarnabas Health and Saint James opened a 340b retail pharmacy and “Food Farmacy” at Saint James’s 228 Lafayette Avenue location. The pharmacy provides discounted medication and education to patients and allows patients to pick up prescriptions at the time of their appointment. Meanwhile, the “Food Farmacy” gives patients on-site access to free healthy foods and nutrition and dietary education.

• See Related: Pharmacy, ‘Healthy Food Pantry’ Now Open At Newark Health Center

Federally qualified health centers serve more than 574,000 patients annually in New Jersey, according to Saint James Health President and Chief Executive Officer Nicole Fields.

“This number continues to grow, along with the demand for affordable health care,” she added.

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