Indian Health Camp of New Jersey (IHCNJ) continues to provide support during the pandemic.
Legacy Pharmacy Group, Marlboro Medical Arts Pharmacy, the New Jersey State Department of Health and Doc Go, in collaboration with IHCNJ, Shree Swaminarayan Temple in South Brunswick and Ved Mandir in Milltown held two COVID-19 vaccine booster drives on Dec. 18.
More than 250 people received booster doses of Moderna and Pfizer vaccinations.
Ritesh Shah, owner of four independent pharmacies in Central Jersey and CEO of Legacy Pharmacy Group, a group purchasing organization for independent pharmacies, has been practicing pharmacy in New Jersey for more than 20 years, according to a statement provided by IHCNJ.
When COVID-19 hit the U.S. in 2020, Shah and his team began setting up testing stations in their pharmacies and other locations in the communities. A long-time public health advocate, Shah has relationships with NJ State Health Department officials and lawmakers and spends a good deal of his time educating them about the needs of his patients, according to the statement.
In October 2020, Shah received a commendation from the governor, a state senator and the General Assembly for his efforts in helping educate the public, testing for COVID-19 and helping prevent the spread of the disease.
IHCNJ was recognized by Gov. Phil Murphy with New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Awards for the 2021 in the Health Care Services Category in recognition of their extraordinary health care services to the community, according to the statement.
IHCNJ has been serving communities by organizing many activities virtually, including online interviews on TV and radio, to providing education via articles and social media platforms related to current topics of COVID-19, mental health and other chronic diseases education and awareness as part of their health promotion and disease prevention objectives.
In addition, the organization also donated personal protective equipment such as gloves and masks earlier in 2020 when there was severe shortage and scarcity at the local hospitals in New Jersey, according to the statement. The donations were accepted by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Somerset and Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick.
As part of community outreach and efforts for healthier living, IHCNJ also provided free COVID-19 FDA authorized antigen and antibody testing to hundreds of people in collaboration with Hematology & Oncology Care, Helping Hearts Foundation and Durham Pharmacy earlier this year.
For more information about IHCNJ services during the pandemic or any assistance in getting the vaccine or testing, call Dr. Tushar Patel at 848-391-0499, [email protected], or visit www.IHCNJ.org.