Mary O’Dowd, deputy commissioner of the N.J. Department of Health, announces during a July 20 press conference that Monmouth Family Health Center in Long Branch will receive $1.5 million in reimbursements from the state for serving the uninsured as part of a $50 million state initiative. KENNY WALTER The Monmouth Family Health Center in Long Branch will receive about $1.5 million in state reimbursements for serving uninsured patients as part of a $50 million state commitment to health centers across New Jersey. Mary O’Dowd, deputy commissioner of the N.J. Department of Health, made the announcement of the funding on July 20 during a press conference and tour of the health center facilities on lower Broadway.
“For the uninsured population, that speaks to a 25 percent increase over the last two years, which is significant,” she said. “You have seen budget dollars go down in many other areas across the state because of our economic times. “The commitment of the department and the state government to the [health centers] and our hospitals really delivers the best quality care to our community,” she added.
Marta Silverberg, executive director of the health center, an affiliate of Monmouth Medical Center, explained that the $1.5 million would cover the majority of the costs associated with serving the uninsured population.
“The funding is for people who could not pay their insurance, and we get $1.5 million out of the $50 million pot,” she said. “We spend $1.30 on the dollar [for the uninsured].
“Basically that subsidizes the majority of it, and the 30 percent we have to get through other recourses like grants.”
O’Dowd said the increased commitment from the state is a result of the quality health care provided by health centers.
“Spending money for poor quality doesn’t get us the results that we are looking for,” she said.
The funding represents the highest level the state has funded for uninsured patients of health centers and is coupled with a nearly $1 billion investment to hospitals serving the uninsured.
Also at the press conference were community leaders including Tyrone Garrett, executive director of the Long Branch Housing Authority, Carl Jennings, director of the Recreation Department and Assemblywomen Caroline Casagrande and Mary Pat Angelini (R-12th District).
Silverberg said the turnout is proof that Monmouth Family Health Center is an integral part of the community.
“For me every time we have something like this it is an honor,” she said. “We do try to really work with the community and the community supports us.”
The additional funding comes on the heels of a May 3 announcement that the center re- ceived $3.47 million in federal grants to fund a 6,000 square-foot dental facility.
O’Dowd agreed there is a strong bond between the health center and the community.
“You really are so connected to your communities in understanding their needs and providing services to them,” she said. “I think you can see a lot of things here at this facility that speak to the kind of leadership here.”
Katherine Grant-Davis, president and CEO of the New Jersey Primary Care Association, said there are 105 health centers in 20 counties that logged 1.4 million patient visits and 450,000 individual patients last year.
She also said there are some misconceptions about health centers.
“We are not a clinic. We are a medical home; we are a community home,” Grant- Davis said.
O’Dowd went on to speak specifically about the services the center provides, including one of the highest child vaccination rates in the state.
“It is one of the single most effective public health measures to make sure that our communities stay healthy,” she said. “You all are vaccinating your children at a rate much higher then your peers across the state.”
“You recognize the importance of how to keep children healthy.”
According to O’Dowd Monmouth Family Health Center vaccinates about 75 percent of the children the center serves under the age of 2 — the highest rate in the state.
The health center also excels in prenatal care, she said.
“Here you all are achieving that benchmark of quality where 78 percent of your pregnant patients are getting enrolled into prenatal care during that very first trimester,” O’Dowd said. “That really speaks to your commitment to getting individuals into care early on and preventing complications.”
Silverberg called the health center’s focus on prenatal care a “critical point.”
Another topic discussed was the recent emergency room diversion plan that sent sthose seeking non-emergency medical attention at nearby Monmouth Medical Center to the health center for their medical needs.
Silverberg explained the benefit for both the health center and the emergency department.
“The show-up rate for the patients that were sent here from the ER was no different than the regular population,” she said. “The ER department has access to our scheduling system so they schedule [appointments].”
According to Silverberg about 45 percent of the patients sent to the health center through the emergency room diversion program have remained with the center, making it their medical home.