The New Jersey Innovation
Institute (NJII) is
making community service in business the norm. On Oct. 19, the healthcare
division of NJII went
to the Barringer High School of Newark,
NJ to host its second pop-up health clinic for Newark residents.
The New Jersey
Innovation Institute is a not-for-profit “NJIT corporation focused on helping
private enterprise discover what’s possible,” by sharing innovative ideas
within the business’s respective sector to pursue new market opportunities,
says Don Sebastian, the President of NJII. Generally, NJII’s work focuses on
generating commercial success. Its Healthcare Division seeks to improve the
quality and cost of health care, a task which has required much research and
reflection on health care accessibility.
However, it was exactly
this evaluation of the health care field
that inspired and drove support for the pop-up clinic. NJII’s project manager,
Inaceli Tubilleja,
explained that NJII noted a “significant gap in healthcare access, access to
healthcare data and a gap in health literacy.”
NJII’s
Healthcare Division holds a unique perspective as a business accelerator in
Newark, which has a large underserved population that especially suffers from
the gap in healthcare accessibility. Indeed, according to Newark’s most
recently conducted community health assessment from 2014, 28.9% of Newark
adults reported lack of health insurance, nearly double the
national average of 14.9%.
Tomas Gregorio,
senior vice president of NJII’s Healthcare
Division, said that “NJII is based in Newark, and these clinics are one way we
give back to the community we call home.”
As part of the pop-up
health clinic, NJII provided screening for height, weight, blood pressure and
glucose levels. Organizers also brought in representatives from Aetna and the
nonprofit Kindersmile Foundation to aid attendees in obtaining health insurance
and dental care respectively. The clinic also offered aid beyond medical care,
including services that help with obtaining housing and combating domestic
violence.
Tubilleja elaborated on
their first pop-up clinic and the support they garnered. According to
Tubilleja, the Healthcare Division was inspired by NJIT’s medical Global
Brigades group, and worked closely with the previous president,
Faustin Arevalo,
for their international service work in addressing health equity. Further, NJII
worked closely with Barringer High School counselor,
Ms. Tammy Davis, who is their liaison for community needs. This group was able
to conduct health screenings for 50 Newark residents for their first health
clinic in April 2019.
Although NJII is
currently sponsoring all costs, the institute is applying for grants to support
this service work long-term and continue hosting pop-ups every month moving
forward.
Despite NJII’s position
as a business accelerator, it is refreshing to see that the institute understands
its surrounding community and continues to give back. For example, “this year’s
health clinic will be involving more community organizations for access to
social services,” said Tubilleja. NJII also plans to continue to work with
NJIT’s Global Brigades program.
Indeed, NJII has plans
to continue down this path to grow in civic engagement within Newark, with
goals to host a Thanksgiving dinner for families of Barringer High School and
to continue collecting social determinants of health data to better understand
the community’s needs.