2024 New Jersey Projects
Camden Area Health Education Center (AHEC)
Providing Educational and Preventive Services for Community Health in Camden
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Student Interns:
Emily Ai, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Sebastian Quiana, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
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Academic Preceptors:
Mara Gordon, MD, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Anthony L. Rostain, MD, MA, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
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Community Preceptor:
Chelise Junior, MPH, Camden Area Health Education Center
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Community Site:
Camden AHEC works daily to assist disadvantaged people in the navigation of complicated healthcare and insurance systems, empowering them to take control and responsibility for a healthy future. Camden AHEC meets people where they are and uses a holistic approach to recognize the impact lifestyle, environment, economic status, and access to care have on health. Camden AHEC provides services to youth, families, and seniors. Health education services are provided on-site, in the Camden AHEC mobile van, and at various community sites throughout the area. The services reach over 10,000 individuals a year and range from rapid HIV and STI testing to treatment and syringe access and community wellness programming. Camden AHEC’s vision is “healthy futures for all people.”
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Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps student interns focused primarily on outreach, working with the syringe access program twice a week. Tasks included distributing clean syringes, works bags, client intake, and packing supplies beforehand. They shadowed the nurse on-site who performs STI/HIV/Hepatitis C screenings and wound care. The interns also created a flyer for Camden AHEC to encourage partnerships with other agencies in the greater NJ area.
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Reflections:
Emily Ai and Sebastian Quiana: “Camden AHEC taught us the importance of fully understanding and appreciating what a community lacks and has to offer when approaching community care. One of the most striking aspects of working here is the evident passion, empathy, and commitment the staff displays toward the clients. Always optimistic, willing to help, and filled with fascinating stories, the staff are admirable in their ability to go above and beyond. Every conversation we have had with them has taught us invaluable lessons that we treasure and will take with us going forward in our medical careers.”
Camden Coalition
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Connecting Patient-Facing Care With Systems-Level Projects
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Student Interns:
Kate Moore, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Apurva Puli, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
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Academic Preceptors:
Mara Gordon, MD, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Anthony L. Rostain, MD, MA, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
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Community Preceptors:
Jeneen Skinner, LPN, Camden Coalition
Mouy Eng K. Van Galen, LSSGB, Camden Coalition
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Community Site:
Camden Coalition is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving care for individuals with complex needs. Through their person-centered programs and Camden Core Model, Camden Coalition is uniquely positioned to care for area residents that are negatively affected by the social determinants of health. In addition to their patient-facing work, Camden Coalition also operates at a systems level to influence healthcare policy and make healthcare delivery more equitable and accessible. Continuous data analysis and integration is conducted at all levels of programming to assess impact and identify opportunities for improvement.
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Team’s Experience:
One Bridging the Gaps student intern worked on Pledge to Connect, which is a transition-of-care pilot that seeks to connect patients who present to the emergency department for psychiatric concerns with outpatient behavioral healthcare. The intern conducted a review of existing literature on regional triage strategies and validated data within the Coalition’s Health Information Exchange, which will contribute to the future goals of the pilot. Additionally, the intern produced a comprehensive reference for the Housing First program’s new medication adherence initiative. The other BTG intern worked on a project aimed at allowing the RSV vaccine to be administered on the postpartum floor. The intern spoke to community members who have had children severely affected by the virus and accompanied the Housing First team on home visits in the community. The Housing First team works to provide frequently hospitalized and housing-unstable individuals with safe living conditions and comprehensive support services.
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Reflections:
Kate Moore: “My experience as a Bridging the Gaps intern at the Camden Coalition made me realize how much of a person’s experience with healthcare occurs outside of traditional healthcare settings. How can a provider expect a diabetic patient to take their insulin if that patient is experiencing homelessness and has nowhere to refrigerate their insulin? The staff at the Coalition works tirelessly to eliminate these sorts of barriers that interfere with participant’s abilities to improve their health and manage chronic conditions. Prior to this experience, I was naïve as to the barriers patients may face, but I will now strive to incorporate this increased understanding into my future medical practice by actively addressing these challenges and advocating for comprehensive patient support that extends beyond the walls of the hospital or clinic.”
Apurva Puli: “My experience as a Bridging the Gaps intern at the Camden Coalition taught me the importance of connecting patients with multifaceted needs to the resources that will help them most. I gained a new perspective on the intermediary processes that occur beyond the clinic setting, often unseen by frontline healthcare professionals, to help patients achieve their health and personal goals. Through their care models, the Camden Coalition staff create opportunities for people who often fall through the cracks of fragmented health systems. By integrating myself into a redesign program team this summer, I have developed an appreciation and admiration for the innovative approaches being assessed within the organization. Moving forward, I aspire to emulate the creative, patient-centered mindset that I witnessed this summer by providing my future patients with support in all aspects of their lives.”
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Catholic Partnerships Schools
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Supporting Camden Education: Catholic Partnership Schools
Student Interns:
Joe Ragan, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
William Starnes, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Academic Preceptors:
Anthony L. Rostain, MD, MA, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Mara Gordon, MD, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
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Community Preceptor:
Jameka Walker, Executive Director of Catholic Partnership Schools
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Community Site:
Catholic Partnership Schools (CPS) is a network of pre-K through eighth-grade schools providing an educational opportunity for students in Camden. The schools include Saint Cecilia School, Saint Joseph's Pro-Cathedral School, Sacred Heart School, and St. Anthony of Padua. The Catholic Partnership School system achieves arguably the best educational results in Camden, with 85% of CPS eighth graders showing advanced reading proficiency compared with 32% of public school students. CPS schools have a 96% attendance rate and 96% of graduates go on to college. The system was founded by the Healy Education Foundation in partnership with the Diocese of Camden to help revitalize the schools.
Team’s Experience:
At Catholic Partnership Schools, the Bridging the Gaps student interns worked directly with the student alumni coordinator to contribute to record keeping at the school, entering information on students over the last 40 years. This information is important to keep past students involved with the school, for financial contributions to allow the school to run, and for career assistance programs.
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Reflections:
Joe Ragan: “… At St. Joseph’s Pro-Cathedral School, I spent much of my time developing and implementing an aftercare program for their summer school. While much of our activities were more physical in nature, I helped provide exposure to STEM and healthcare-related enrichment activities that broadened the student's perspective beyond what they would traditionally learn in the classroom. I absolutely loved my experience working with the students at St. Joe’s and hope that my after-school program curriculum will make a long-standing impact on the students.”
William Starnes: “In my time at St. Anthony of Padua I have appreciated the opportunity to get to know many of those that work to get the school to run every year as well as some of the students that attend the school. Talking with many of the teachers at the school, my eyes were opened to many of the challenges that they face every year, but more importantly the passion the educators have for the students.”
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Center for Family Services
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Student Interns at Center for Family Services
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Student Interns:
Ayla Boyd, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Lucas Garfinkel, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Zvi Goldman, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
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Academic Preceptors:
Mara Gordon, MD, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Anthony L. Rostain, MD, MA, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
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Community Preceptors:
Andrew Adams, Re-Engagement Center, Center for Family Services
Megan Lepore, AVP, Development & Sustainability, Center for Family Services
Sierra Parks, MA, LAC, Center for Family Services
Veronica Ramos-Cruz, AVP, Adolescent Services, Center for Family Services
Jenise Rolle, MA, Camden Promise Neighborhood
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Community Site:
The mission of the Center for Family Services is to empower and uplift individuals, families, and communities, helping them build a brighter future through vision, hope, and resilience. The organization envisions a world where all people live capable, responsible, and fulfilling lives within strong families and healthy communities.
The Wiggins Center serves as a community hub for Camden residents of all ages, offering access to resources and participation in various events and activities. The services at The Wiggins Center build on the achievements of the Camden Promise Neighborhood, an initiative focused on enhancing opportunities and improving outcomes for children and families.
www.centerffs.org/the-wiggins-center/home
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Team’s Experience:
Each of the Bridging the Gaps student interns participated in a different area of CFS. One intern worked with the Community Engagement Department, teaching a neuroscience lesson at local schools and interacting with over 100 students. The same intern also helped at CFS events, including open gym nights, the Independence Day party, and CPR classes. Another intern supervised the summer youth employment program, which develops professionalism while providing needed services to CFS, and supervised afternoon activities such as swim lessons and cooking classes for local community members. With CFS’s Adolescent Program Services & Outpatient Counseling, the third BTG intern observed the MST team as each case was reviewed with a supervisor. This intern also assisted with the Independence Day event.
Reflections:
Ayla Boyd: “This summer taught me the deep-rooted strength and love that Camden is filled with. There are so many people who have dedicated themselves to Camden and have accomplished unimaginable successes. These people taught me there is always room to try and help.”
Lucas Garfinkel: “I had such an amazing summer working for CFS. I learned so much, including the pillars
of community engagement, the different types of social work programing, the burden of funding, and about the Camden community as whole. I also had the opportunity to teach over 100 local students about the brain and spark their interest in neuroscience. The best part of the summer was just being able to meet community leaders and learn more about the amazing work being done in Camden.”
Zvi Goldman: “Although I was informed about the process and cases of the multi-systemic therapy team, the complete lack of direct interaction with the service population meant that the only value in it for me was in terms of my future career. This value is not in the domain of biological health matters, such as oral or cardiovascular health, but in the psychosocial aspects. Time spent in face-to-face interaction with patients has been increasingly diminished in healthcare, sacrificed for things with more tangible, recordable results. Though the value of direct interaction with patients—with anybody—is difficult to quantify, its indispensable worth is evident.”
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Joseph’s House of Camden
Navigating Homeless Medicine and Harm Reduction in Camden, NJ
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Student Interns:
Arnav Goel, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Hunter Gogoj, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Joseph Nowacki, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
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Academic Preceptors:
Mara Gordon MD, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Anthony L. Rostain, MD, MA, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
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Community Preceptors:
Kevin Moran, Joseph’s House of Camden
Misty Sparks, Joseph’s House of Camden
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The Community Site:
Joseph’s House of Camden (JHoC ) was founded in 2010. Its mission is to holistically, individually engage people experiencing homelessness in gaining stability and control of their lives. JHoC provides shelter for 88 adults at a time and community programs that reach unhoused people beyond its bed capacity.
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Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps student interns participated in harm-reduction and direct-to-community-member service delivery programs, including handing out food, water, clothing, hygiene products, dental products, wound care materials, and other supplies. They helped manage the shower and laundry programs for unhoused individuals who were not currently staying at Joseph’s House. The interns also spent time building relationships with guests, staff, and other individuals in the Camden community, which was not only rewarding, but also provided many lessons for the interns going forward.
Reflections:
Arnav Goel: “Every day at Joseph’s House I am reminded of the inequalities that plague the most vulnerable in our society. I am also reminded of the power of community to make the world a better place, one bed, one shower, one meal at a time.”
Hunter Gogoj: “Working at Joseph’s House was a deeply rewarding experience where I formed meaningful relationships with individuals often overlooked by society. It was an invaluable opportunity to offer respect and dignity to those who don't receive enough of it in their daily lives.”
Joseph Nowacki: “I value the relationships I built this summer with people in the Camden community and look forward to continuing these relationships through service learning at CMSRU. Eventually, I hope to practice medicine in Camden and will take the lessons from this summer forward into my career.”
The Cooperative, Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative
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A Summer With the Cooperative: Providing More Than Just Perinatal Care to the South Jersey Community
Student Interns:
Erin O’Callaghan, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Anna Wengyn, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Academic Preceptors:
Mara Gordan, MD, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Anthony L. Rostain, MD, MA, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Community Preceptors:
Denise Bouyer, Director of Family Support and Community Services
Jennifer Sherlock-Loeb, MSN, RNC-OB, Chief Clinical Officer
Community Site:
The Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative, recently shortened to “The Cooperative,” is a maternal and pediatric health consortium supporting seven counties throughout South Jersey with family services, educational resources, and programs to improve community health.
Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps student interns joined The Cooperative programs in community outreach and educational events. In collaboration with Virtua Health, the BTG interns from The Cooperative traveled to schools in Camden to provide asthma education—including asthma action plans, smoking cessation, and the CDC Exhale framework—to residents as they received free lead screenings and school and sport physicals. The interns attended Winslow Township’s Community Baby Shower as vendors, providing education on The Cooperative’s Connecting NJ and Early Intervention programs to expecting mothers. Supporting Camden Healthy Start at The Cooperative, the interns prepared bags of diapers for July’s Diaper Day and developed summer safety educational materials geared toward babies, children, and pregnant women.
Reflections:
Erin O’Callaghan and Anna Wengyn: “Spending our summer with The Cooperative as BTG interns has connected us with a wealth of individuals and resources committed to improving the health of our Camden community. We leave this experience with empathy and a greater understanding of the social determinants and barriers to health that our community members face and with a toolbox of resources for our future patients. As aspiring clinicians, we are amazed by the vast services offered by The Cooperative and collaborating organizations. We are grateful to carry these resources into the coming years serving the Camden community in our student clinic and beyond. Some of the most valuable experiences of our summer have been attending community events as vendors and providing attendees with education, resources, and referrals to our programs. We saw the importance of being present in the community. People benefit from these valuable services when they know they exist. We continuously saw evidence of this as we interacted with clients, as they found that these services that seemingly appeared out of nowhere either could or had made a difference in their lives.”