323 Cooper Street Camden, NJ 08102
856-225-6727
The program office for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s New Jersey Health Initiatives (NJHI) program is located within the Institute. The program director is Calvin Bland, a senior official of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Gretchen Hartling of the Institute serves as the program’s co-director.New Jersey Health Initiatives supports advancement in health services delivery, improvement in health and the expansion of leadership expertise through grantmaking across the State of New Jersey. To meet the many health needs of our state’s diverse populations, regions and communities, the NJHI program encourages improvement and collaboration in health service programs, delivery systems, provider arrangements and financing mechanisms.NJHI’s mission mirrors that of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in seeking to improve the health and health care of all New Jerseyans. Our grants are prioritized into four goal areas: 1) To assure access to quality health care at reasonable cost; 2) To improve the quality of care and support for people with chronic health conditions; 3) To promote healthy communities and lifestyles; and 4) To reduce the personal, social and economic harm caused by substance abuse—tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs.The NJHI grantmaking program has multiple components:Responsive GrantmakingThe Foundation and NJHI support a broad range of community-based service demonstration projects corresponding to RWJF’s interest areas. Projects funded through NJHI are generally three years in duration, and proposals are submitted annually through a call for proposals issued by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.In 2007, to be eligible for funding under NJHI, projects must address one of three specific RWJF interest areas: 1) Addiction Prevention & Treatment; 2) Childhood Obesity; and 3) Vulnerable Populations.Strategic GrantmakingThis NJHI program component emphasizes proactive grantmaking, with the first grants awarded in 2003. Nine grants awarded under the NJHI Workforce Agenda addressed shortages in two critical segments of the health care workforce: registered nurses in the hospital setting and paraprofessionals in long-term care institutions and home health care settings.In 2007, NJHI will award its second cohort of strategic grants, focusing on disparities in care and health status for ethnic and cultural minorities in our state. This initiative will concentrate on improving the quality of care provided at hospitals that serve a large number of minority patients diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.Health Management and Leadership ProgramThis initiative focuses on developing a network of leaders from a wide range of health disciplines and organizations to enhance and strengthen the network of providers and to impact regional and statewide health policy and program development. This is facilitated through training and education programs that provide management, financial and strategic skills to leaders of community-based health and service provider agencies.Information on current NJHI grantees and grant application cycles and procedures are available on the program’s website: www.njhi.org.
