Bergen New Bridge Medical Center Awarded New Jersey Safety Net Innovation Program Grant

The Camden Coalition and the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation announced the first-ever recipients of these grants

The Camden Coalition and the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation (BMS Foundation) announced that Bergen New Bridge Medical Center is one of the first-ever recipients of the New Jersey Safety Net Innovation Program (NJ SNIP). The program will provide $3.3 million in grants to 11 organizations focused on strengthening the healthcare safety net in New Jersey and improving health equity in New Jersey.

Awardees of the NJ SNIP grants will each receive $300,000 in funding over two years from the BMS Foundation to address the community and/or strategic capacity-building needs in their areas. The Camden Coalition will offer tailored one-on-one technical support related to project management and implementation barriers as well as other technical resources.

“We are an important healthcare resource for the LGBTQ+ community because they know they will receive quality, respectful, equitable, and compassionate care,” said Deborah Visconi, President & CEO, Bergen New Bridge Medical Center. “This grant will help us to further develop a healthcare experience where barriers are removed and access to care is increased.”

The Medical Center’s LGBTQ+ Health & Wellness Center was awarded a grant for its outreach project, “Improving Healthcare Access for the LGBTQ+ Community Through Telehealth and Navigation.” The grant will help expand wraparound services like patient navigation, assessment of social determinants of health, and referral services. The Medical Center will work with community-based organizations to streamline access to telehealth and remove transportation-related barriers to care.

“Our LGBTQ+ Health & Wellness Center provides comprehensive primary care services to the LGBTQ+ community, including gender-affirming hormone therapy, HIV prevention medication, sexual health services, and routine primary care including preventive care, screenings, and vaccinations,” said Finn Schubert, Program Specialist, who will lead the grant program alongside Dr. Christopher Awwad, Medical Director, LGBTQ+ Health & Wellness Center. “This grant will enable us to enhance the support and navigation services we can provide to our patients, and to expand access to our services.”

By providing this combination of flexible funding and technical assistance to safety net organizations, the BMS Foundation hopes to strengthen the organizations’ capacity to address inequities and build relationships with community members and other health and social services providers.

“We are proud to recognize the grant recipients of the New Jersey Safety Net Innovation Program as leaders in both spirit and practice for strong, inclusive, and equitable health care,” said Catharine Grimes, President, Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation. “Safety net organizations know best where the greatest need is in their healthcare system, and it is our pleasure to support their impact with The Camden Coalition, particularly in Bristol Myers Squibb’s home state of New Jersey.”

The Camden Coalition was selected by the BMS Foundation to co-design, implement, and administer this new grant program because of the Coalition’s two decades of experience working with individuals who have complex health and social needs, and its reputation as a national leader in developing equitable models of care.

“Strengthening the healthcare safety net is a central part of the Camden Coalition’s complex care model,” said, Kathleen Noonan, president and CEO, Camden Coalition. “Building the capacity of essential organizations in the community — providing them with training and funding — will improve outcomes and advance health equity. Our experience working on the ground in Camden and with organizations across the country has shown how effective these partnerships can be.”