Community

This report contains the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) for Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties; the CHNA was conducted by The Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs at Rutgers University-Camden (WRI) on behalf of the South Jersey Health Collaborative (SJHC). The South Jersey Health Collaborative consists of Cooper University Health Care, Jefferson Health, Lourdes Health System, Virtua Health, Burlington County Health Department, Camden County Department of Health and Human Services, and Gloucester County Department of Health and Human Services.

 

We conducted the CHNA with one main goal, to carefully characterize community members’ views on the health needs in their communities and thereby fulfill the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requirements for tax-exempt hospitals. For the purpose of this assessment, community is defined as the three counties that comprise the SJHC service areas (Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties). Our focus on community voice means that our assessment of health needs is framed by the community’s perception of needs.

 

Indeed, our most striking finding is the broad theme that the community’s definition of health extends far beyond access to health providers and clinical health care to include the upstream determinants of health in their communities. These upstream determinants include things such as easy and affordable access to healthy food, safety, transportation, and time constraints. These community perceptions are consistent with recent research in population health that suggests that targeted interventions in these upstream determinants could provide cost-savings and improvements in health that are much larger than even the best improvements in the efficiency and delivery of direct clinical care.

 

View the South Jersey Health Collaborative 2019-2021 Community Health Needs Assessment.

 

Past CHNA Reports:

2016 CHNA

2013 CHNA - Virtua Marlton

2013 CHNA - Virtua Memorial

2013 CHNA - Virtua Voorhees

The CHNA revealed the communities’ key issues and areas of opportunity. The assessment contributes supporting data and enables Virtua Health to take an in-depth look at its greater community and to develop innovative and evidence based implementation strategies. Significant results from the CNHA are integrated into the process of prioritization of health needs and the development of a health system implementation plan.

Based on community needs, four areas have been identified as critical community needs and are addressed in this implementation plan: behavioral health and substance abuse, accessing care, communications and relationships, and obesity.

We offer free classes to share information about disease prevention along with providing assistance to support groups. In addition to offering clinical training for local nurses, paramedics and physicians, Virtua also has classes for the community including pediatric and adult CPR. Check our event calendar or call 1-888-VIRTUA-3 (1-888-847-8823).

Virtua plays a key role in numerous activities to benefit the residents of the communities it serves above and beyond the normal day-to-day healthcare operations.

To inquire about Virtua’s community outreach programs, from speakers to events, please fill out your information on Virtua Request for Community Event form. Requests must be submitted at least 90 days prior to event.

Virtua provides cancer screenings for residents of Camden and Burlington Counties through the New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection program (NJCEED). A free cancer screening program, NJCEED is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State of New Jersey.

Designed for Burlington and Camden County residents who meet certain age and income requirements, NJCEED may provide the following screenings: clinical breast exams, mammograms, pap smears, pelvic exams, PSA blood tests (for prostate screening), and fecal occult blood testing (for colorectal screening).

To qualify, you must be between the ages of 18 to 64, uninsured or underinsured, and not able to pay for the screenings you need. To determine eligibility for NJCEED, fill out an annual services form, consent form and a declaration of income and insurance status form. To request these forms and for additional questions, call 1-888-VIRTUA-3 (1-888-847-8823) and ask for NJCEED.

Virtua is proud to partner with the following organizations to encourage healthier communities:

 

• BB&T Pavilion
• Virtua Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees and Pennsauken
• Winterfest Ice Skating at Cooper River