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Connecting Communities and Developing Networks

To highlight the ongoing efforts and collaborations to address health challenges in rural communities and increase awareness of rural health-related issues, the New Jersey Department of Health is celebrating Rural Health Weeks with events throughout the state.

Rural Health Weeks is a two-week, statewide event from Sept. 16-30. This year’s theme is Connecting Communities and Developing Networks.

Events will include free health screenings, flu clinics, information sessions on lead prevention, diabetes self-management and emergency preparedness, as well as food and entertainment for families.

South Jersey Family Medical Centers will hold a series of rural health exhibition events chronicling the lives and contributions of local farmworkers in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties.

“More than 100 municipalities in New Jersey are considered rural and about nine percent of our more than 8 million residents live in rural areas,” Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal Said. “Although rural areas represent a relatively small portion of residents, they experience some of the worst health outcomes in the state including higher rates of heart disease, cancer and alcohol use." Rural residents also have a higher likelihood of ending their lives by suicides.

The New Jersey Office of Rural Health is a statewide resource for rural health concerns. It partners with the Rural Health Advisory Committee and other programs to leverage resources and expand collaborative partnerships locally, statewide and nationally.

In 2016, the office collaborated with the Rutgers School of Social Work to develop the New Jersey Rural Health Needs Assessment to identify the health and social concerns, issues and recommendations for people who live in rural areas.

The Department convened its 2^nd annual Rural Health Symposium earlier this year bringing together more than 200 rural health practitioners representing Federally Qualified Health Centers, clinics, private practices, hospitals, public health professionals, social workers, policy makers, advocates and local health workers.

Click here to learn more about the New Jersey State Office of Rural Health.

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