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The Camden Coalition and the Princeton-based Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation recently announced the first recipients of the New Jersey Safety Net Innovation Program (NJ SNIP), which will provide $3.3 million in grants to 11 organizations focused on improving health equity in the Garden State. 

Recipients will receive up to $300,000 in funding over two years as well as technical support from the Camden Coalition for their projects, according to a Dec. 12 announcement. 

Safety net organizations are health care providers such as public or teaching hospitals, community-based clinics, local health departments and other institutions that care for uninsured patients, according to “Americas’s Health Care Safety Net: Intact but Endangered,” a publication listed in the National Library of Medicine. 

“We are proud to recognize the grant recipients of the New Jersey Safety Net Innovation Program as leaders in both spirit and practice for strong, inclusive, and equitable health care,” John Damonti, president of Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, said in a statement. “Safety net organizations know best where the greatest need is in their healthcare system, and it is our pleasure to support their impact with The Camden Coalition, particularly in Bristol Myers Squibb’s home state of New Jersey.” 

Kathleen Noonan, president and CEO of the Camden Coalition, added, “Strengthening the healthcare safety net is a central part of the Camden Coalition’s complex care model. Building the capacity of essential organizations in the community — providing them with training and funding — will improve outcomes and advance health equity.” 

To be eligible for the grants, applicants needed to be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in New Jersey and qualify as a community health center, free and charitable clinic, essential/safety-net hospital or a Regional Health Hub, according to the program’s website.

The first recipients of the NJ SNIP grants are: 

• Care Plus Bergen Inc. (Bergen New Bridge Medical Center) 
• Health Coalition of Passaic County Inc. 
• Henry J. Austin Health Center 
• Greater Newark Health Care Coalition 
• Ocean Health Initiatives 
• Osborn Family Health Center Inc. 
• South Ward Children’s Alliance DBA South Ward Promise Neighborhood 
• St. Joseph’s University Medical Center 
• Urban Health Institute at Cooper University Health Care 
• Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey Community Health Center 
• Zufall Health Center Inc. 

In a follow-up statement, Cooper University Health Care thanked the organizations for the $280,000 grant, which will be used through its Urban Health Institute to better connect individuals with community resources; workforce development for its staff; and team building between UHI and other community-based organizations. 

“We are grateful to the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation for their generous support and commitment to providing funding for important initiatives that will improve health and empower and strengthen communities,” said Dr. Steven Kaufman, medical director of the UHI and division head of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at Cooper.