NJSORH
NHSC Search
NHSC Questionnaire
More COPC Information
Data Management & County Profiles
Office of Disaster Preparedness
Community Outreach
Clinical Quality Program
340B Drug Pricing Program
BACKGROUND OF THE NEW JERSEY STATE OFFICE OF RURAL HEALTH
The New Jersey State Office of Rural Health (NJSORH) operates within a grant through the New Jersey State Department of Health and Senior Services. Representing the rural communities of the nation's most densely populated state, the NJSORH is the first entity established solely for the purpose of coordinating and providing a clearinghouse function for rural health care within the "Garden State".
Because New Jersey does not have any areas which conform to the federal rural definition, the NJSORH sets out to develop its own definition which more accurately profiles rural communities within our state. Considerable time and energy were spent in developing a rural definition which would meet the needs of New Jersey. Ten of the twenty-one counties in the state qualify under this definition which is a population based definition utilizing a population density of 800 persons or less per square mile. Those ten counties include: Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Ocean, Salem, Sussex and Warren. Having developed this working definition, outreach is more focused.
Statewide Coordination and Linkages
Many of the activities of the NJSORH are directed by a very energetic Advisory Council. The Advisory Council has grown over the last year and includes planners, providers and consumers of rural health services throughout the state. The larger and more varied council has enabled the office to gain greater visibility within rural communities. The NJSORH sponsored its third annual Rural Health Conference in the Spring of 1997. The conference, "New Directions in Rural Health", focused upon the introduction of telemedicine in the rural health delivery system. In this direction, the NJSORH has begun to bring together health planners and providers from northern New Jersey to explore sharing of resources in communities in which crossing of state borders for health care is common practice.
Information Clearinghouse
NJSORH continues to work closely with the New Jersey Health Research and Educational Trust's statewide library in maintaining and cataloging a collection of rural information, texts and research materials. The office publishes a bi-annual newsletter with legislative, regulatory and fiscal updates as well as profiling effective rural health care models from other areas of the country. The office also disseminates information to keep providers, consumers, and others better informed about rural health activities, developments and resources throughout the state.
Developing Linkages and Building Coalitions
NJSORH develops linkages and builds coalitions with state legislatures, relevant state agencies, state organizations, health professions schools, and other groups and individuals at the state, regional and local levels. The office also participates in advisory committees, task forces and other joint efforts that bring the office into contact with as many other groups and individuals as possible. The office sponsors statewide rural health conferences and workshops. They also maintain regular contact with Federal/National organizations, especially with the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy and National Rural Health Association.
Providing Technical Assistance
NJSORH provides technical assistance directly, as a broker for services, or both. The types of services that can be brokered or offered by a successful NJSORH can include: developing in-house expertise, disseminating information on programs, developing directories of programs, providing on site consultations, providing grant writing services, conducting community development activities and engaging in outreach activities.
Recruitment and Retention
NJSORH provides technical assistance to communities to help with their health service professional recruitment efforts. The office also works with the state to develop initiatives that increase the number of primary care providers for rural practice.
Future Activities
Greater involvement in developing comprehensive primary care systems to ensure that appropriate primary care services are available, accessible and not duplicative of other services.
Developing incentives to attract providers to primary care rural practice settings.
Working with the state legislature and other interested groups to gain recognition for New Jersey's rural areas, despite not having areas which conform to the federal rural definition.
Locating and securing grant funds for education, outreach and technical assistance to assist local rural organizations.
The New Jersey State Office of Rural Health has been in existence since 1996. New Jersey was one of the last states in the country to establish an Office of Rural Health. This was due, in large part, to the unique circumstances within our state.
New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation. There are 30 cities/municipalities with populations above 40,000 in New Jersey. These urban areas in conjunction with their outlying suburban neighbors dominate New Jersey in terms of its population base.
As such, we are the only state in the northeastern region which does not have any counties or subcounties conforming to the federal definition of a "rural area". In addition, there are no hospitals in our state which qualify as rural hospitals. In short, all areas in New Jersey are classified as standard metropolitan statistical areas (SMSAs).
Even though we do not have areas conforming to the standard definition of "rural area", it is misleading to assume that all of New Jersey is industrialized or suburbanized. In fact, two thirds of the state is open space. Further, farming is one of the state's key industries. While farms are spread throughout the state most may be found in the northernmost counties, Warren and Sussex, and the southernmost counties, Atlantic, Salem, Gloucester and Cape May.
NJSORH is the first entity in the state established for the sole purpose of coordinating and providing a clearinghouse function for rural health care within the "Garden State". Given the uniqueness of the "non-rural" nature of the state, the mission of the NJSORH is to highlight the role of and need for rural health care within an environment of some of the most high need, high profile, urban cities in the United States.
One of the greatest and ongoing challenges facing the NJSORH is to gain recognition for and responsiveness to the health care concerns facing rural populations within such an overwhelmingly "urban" state. The NJSORH spent considerable time and energy in developing a rural definition which would meet the needs of New Jersey. Ten counties in the state qualified under this definition which is based upon a population density of less than 750 persons per square mile.
Once this working definition was developed, outreach became more focused and rural activities coordination had a targeted audience. Rural conferences were convened and a statewide rural health advisory council was formed. The NJSORH has become recognized as a forum for individuals from different departments within state government as well as health care advocates and providers throughout the state.
The NJSORH has secured a seat on the New Jersey Hospital Association's Community Assessment Committee. This committee, composed of a wide range of health care providers, planners and institutions is developing cutting edge planning and implementation strategies for community-based assessment and planning statewide. The Office has worked closely with the Health Research and Educational Trust of New Jersey statewide healthcare library in organizing and cataloging a collection of rural information, texts and research materials amassed from nationwide sources.
The NJSORH provides technical assistance on an ongoing basis to a number of organizations interested in developing rural health programs and sends out funding alerts to potential applicants citing the availability of new funding sources. The office is committed to assisting physicians and other health care providers seeking opportunities to work in rural New Jersey. The Office follows up on referrals and J-1 visa waiver requests as well and also works with health organizations interested in applying for J-1 waivers.
The New Jersey State Office of Rural Health originally was a grantee of the New Jersey Hospital Association. This past June, New Jersey Primary Care Association (NJPCA) in conjunction with the New Jersey State Health Department applied for and was awarded the federal grant. Because almost all rural health care in New Jersey is provided through Community Health Care Centers, it seemed to be most logical to bring the two offices, namely, the SORH and the NJPCA, together through this grant.
The SORH and the NJPCA will collaborate in dissemination of information, resource sharing, training opportunities as well as managed care negotiations. The Cooperative Agreement in New Jersey will enable the SORH to join with the New Jersey State Department of Health in physician recruitment and retention efforts for rural areas in the state.
© N.J.P.C.A. - New Jersey Primary Care Association, Inc.
3836 Quakerbridge Road, Suite 201, Hamilton, NJ 08619 | Phone: 609-689-9930 | Fax: 609-689-9940 | ©
Alligator Computer Systems, Inc.
