Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers**

Dedicated to providing a diverse population of racial and ethnic groups better access to quality medical and dental care, SJFMC recognized the need to expand and improve its physical facilities to meet the needs of the community. In 1997, SJFMC broke ground, constructed and relocated two of its health centers - the Pleasantville and Hammonton Centers. The new, family-oriented Centers feature primary medical care services as well as an expanded scope of specialty and support services.

Today, SJFMC is better positioned to move into the future with improved efficiencies and outcomes. Our aggressive outreach has increased our ability to coordinate services and establish new alliances with other community-based organizations.

Throughout its history, SJFMC has pinpointed populations at risk and promoted the practice of preventive education programs. This approach has allowed us to analyze and act upon new kinds of preventive medicine that will benefit our patients. Last year, through the help of several community partners, SJFMC was able to spread its message about the importance of childhood immunizations by placing ads directed to parents and caregivers on billboards throughout the County. This, coupled with our other efforts, helped us raise our immunization compliance rates to 91 percent for children 12 months or younger, and we received an impressive 92 percent rating for hepatitis B immunizations. We provided parenting and poison prevention workshops; conducted a school-based adolescent health program; hosted a "prescribe reading early to children" program, participated in numerous community health fairs and provided turkeys, toys, and new clothing donations to help our patients meet their most fundamental human needs.

Into the future, our doctors and other caregivers will continue to work hard to maintain the trust of our patients. We recognize that our success depends on how well we meet the responsibility of providing our patients with high-quality, cost- effective health care. Our goal is to build on our strong local delivery capability as traditional and essential providers of primary health and dental care for residents of Atlantic and Salem Counties and the thousands of migrant farm workers in five counties: Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem.