Category: Article

During the COVID-19 pandemic the LGBTQ Center for Health and Wellness will continue to meet the community’s mental and physical health needs.  In order to do so we are now offering Telehealth opportunities for our medical providers, as well as our Behavioral Health Consultant.  Visits which cannot be conducted through Telehealth can still be scheduled in person. Free HIV & STD testing will be by appointment only.

With the anxiety and social isolation which comes with social distancing, having someone to speak with is more important than ever. Our Behavioral Health Consultant can be attached to any regularly scheduled appointment, or you can schedule a session with the BHC alone.

We will get through this together. If you would like to schedule a Telehealth, or in-person appointment please call 732-502-5130.

Please Join the LGBTQ Center for Health & Wellness & Garden State Equality on Thursday, June 27th at 1:00 PM for a conversation centered around Equality in LGBTQ Health.

• Is there #equality in #healthcare for #LGBTQ individuals today? What disparities exist in #LGBTQ health today? #HealthGroupChat

• What #healthcare services and programs are
  critical to supporting #LGBTQ health and eliminating #health disparities?
  #HealthGroupChat

• What barriers are there to addressing #LGBTQ #health?
  #HealthGroupChat

• What can #healthcare providers do to address
  #LGBTQ #health disparities? #HealthGroupChat

• What can individual #healthcare professionals do
  to address #LGBTQ #health disparities? #HealthGroupChat

• What can policy makers do to advance #LGBTQ #health
  #equality? #HealthGroupChat

• What can each person do to bring attention to,
  or communicate, the importance of #LGBTQ #healthcare needs and disparities? #HealthGroupChat

This article was originally posted on State of NJ Department Human Services. You can view the original article here

Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey to Receive Funding to Develop Opioid Addiction Treatment Program
April 25, 2019

(TRENTON) – New Jersey Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson today announced plans for syringe access programs in Atlantic City and Asbury Park to provide access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction.
The Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey will develop a program to prescribe buprenorphine, which is a medication-assisted treatment to treat opioid addiction, at the syringe access sites. The access to medication-assisted treatment will be available at the South Jersey AIDS Alliance in Atlantic City and the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey’s location in Asbury Park.  The programs are expected to start later this spring.

“This program will offer life-changing help in a safe environment for individuals struggling with opioid addiction,” said Commissioner Johnson. “We continue to focus on reducing barriers to treatment, addressing unmet treatment needs and maintaining recovery. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for people facing opioid addiction to find effective help in many different ways. This plan will provide on-demand access to treatment for individuals who otherwise may find it challenging to access substance use disorder help.”

“Many of those at highest-risk for opioid overdose struggle to access medication-assisted treatment,” said Human Services Assistant Commissioner Valerie Mielke, who oversees the Department’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services.“This often includes individuals who are homeless and those using heroin who utilize syringe access programs. Overdoses in these high-risk populations could be prevented if they had ready access to medication-assisted treatment and other supports.”
“When a person decides they are ready to enter treatment, immediate access to MAT is critical,” said Principal Deputy Health Commissioner Jackie Cornell. “Providing same-day access to prescriptions for buprenorphine, while a warm hand-off to a treatment provider is arranged, increases the likelihood that a person willfully engage in treatment and pursue recovery. On-demand access to MAT is an important addition to the comprehensive suite of services available at our harm reduction centers.”
Under the program, the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey will receive $355,000 annually for two years.
The program at the syringe access sites will be the latest step in the Murphy Administration’s efforts to reduce barriers to medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction.

As of April 1, the Murphy Administration removed prior authorization requirements for medication-assisted treatment to treat opioid addiction. It is also:
Investing in training more primary care physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants to provide medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction; Creating new Medicaid payment incentives to encourage primary care providers to offer medication-assisted treatment;
Funding two Medicaid Centers of Excellence for opioid treatment – one at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark and one at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University – to provide community providers access to addiction experts and supports; and Requiring residential treatment facilities that receive Medicaid payment to provide access to medication-assisted treatment as of July 1.

Tailored Primary Care Service Begins July 31 at VNACJ on Main Street

This article was originally posted on AsburyParkSun.com and can be viewed here

The Visiting Nurse Association Health Group – Prevention Resource Network – has announced that a new health center tailored to serve the needs of the LGBTQ+ community will open Tuesday in Asbury Park.

The center, made possible through a New Jersey Department of Health, Division of HIV, STD, and TB Services grant, will be apart of the services being offered at the VNACJ Community Health Center of Asbury Park, located at 1301 Main Street.

“Disparities in health care still exist within the LGBTQ+ community causing many to delay or ignore their healthcare needs,” said Shannon Preston, director of HIV Community Services at VNA Health Group. “We are very excited to have this opportunity to provide a culturally competent healthcare setting.”

The new LGBTQ+ Center will be open two nights per week and Saturday afternoon, officials said. Initial services will include STD testing – Rapid HIV and syphilis testing, PrEP Counseling and primary HIV care. Soon, services will expand to include primary care, behavioral health services and Transgender health services.

“Our primary goal at the Community Health Center is to improve the overall health status of individuals in the communities we serve,” said Thomas Thees, interim executive director of the Community Health Center. “With the opening of our new LGBTQ+ Center, our qualified, culturally sensitive and competent staff can better address the specific health needs for these individuals.”

The VNACJ Community Health Center will continue its regular weekday and Saturday morning hours of operation for the general public, officials said. Their services will be available to the LGBTQ+ Center clients, which includes dental care, chiropractic, nutrition counseling, and podiatry.

Behind the new initiative is the Visiting Nurse Association Health Group, the states largest home health, hospice, palliative, and private pay personal care nonprofit. Comprised of over 2,000 visiting nurses and doctors, their community-based care provides a full range of primary care services to over 120,000 people annually.

Prevention Resource Network is a part of the Visiting Nurse Association Health Group, funded by the NJ Department of Health, Division of HIV, STD and TB Services. They provide services to assist at risk HIV negative and HIV positive persons in order to help reduce risk behaviors.

The local Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey Community Health Center is a part of the three federally qualified health centers in Monmouth County. Their services include primary and preventive health care for infants, children, and adults. The Asbury Park, Keyport and Red Bank centers served over 9,230 patients and made over 29,099 visits in 2017.