Meet Your Provider: Philip Goncalves, PA, MHS
Philip Goncalves, PA, MHS, chose the physician assistant (PA) path to combine his passion for helping others with the flexibility to explore various medical specialties. Unlike physicians, nurse practitioners, and nurses, PAs receive a versatile medical education that allows them to transition between specialties without extensive additional training. Despite his initial openness to exploring different fields, Goncalves has dedicated his seven-year career as a PA at Zufall Health to primary care....
Fingerpainted Masterpiece Honors Dr. Bob and Kay Zufall
Nonprofit community health center Zufall Health was recently honored by healthcare marketing agency Fingerpaint Group with a remarkable tribute to its founders Robert “Dr. Bob” Zufall, MD, and Kathryn “Kay” Zufall. On June 18, Fingerpaint Group leadership (Jenny McKenna, Chief of Staff, Fingerpaint Group; Tracy Blackwell, General Manager, Fingerpaint; and Dawn Contillo, SVP Group Account Director, Fingerpaint) presented Zufall President and CEO Fran Palm, MPA, and colleagues with an original four-by-five-foot...
Closing the Gap in Preterm Labor Education: Isabella Sesay’s Impact as a Zufall Public Health AmeriCorps Member
Isabella Sesay recently completed an 11-month service term with Public Health AmeriCorps, a volunteer program at Zufall Health dedicated to expanding the public health workforce, promoting health equity, and increasing access to services for underserved populations. Assigned to support the Prenatal Program at Zufall Health – West Orange under the guidance of Midge Clarke, RN, Sesay took on the critical task of preventing preterm labor among prenatal patients. Preterm labor,...
Zufall Health and Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation Support Veterans’ Smiles
Zufall Health and Delta Dental of New Jersey (DDNJ) Foundation recently partnered to host "Smiles for Our Heroes,” a day-long event that provided no-cost dental services to 70 veterans from across New Jersey. Held on sunny Saturday June 15, the festivities marked the return of the event in this format after a five-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Edward Miuccio, a 36-year-old Marine Corps veteran who served in Afghanistan, was...
How “Cover All Kids” Provided Access to Essential Specialty Care for a Zufall Patient
For 10th grade student Asumi, being a patient at Zufall Health - Dover has meant more than receiving routine pediatric care. With the dedicated support of Pediatrician Christine Pagano, MD, Registered Nurse Maribel Ali, RN, and other providers, Asumi has experienced significant improvements in her self-esteem and quality of life over the past year. In August 2023, Asumi underwent surgery at University Hospital in Newark that fundamentally changed her life, a...
Happy 100th Birthday, Dr. Bob!
Today, June 3, 2024, we celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of our beloved co-founder, Robert Zufall, MD, also known as Dr. Bob. Though he passed away three months ago, his spirit of service and compassion continues to inspire us at Zufall Health. Dr. Bob and his wife, Kathryn ("Kay"), founded our health center as a small haven of accessible health care in Dover. Their clinic served everyone, regardless...
WISEWOMAN Drives Healthier Hearts and Lives
For more than 100 years, the nation’s leading cause of death has been heart disease – a range of chronic conditions that includes coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, and valvular heart disease. Heart disease claims nearly 700,000 lives each year in the U.S. At the local level, heart disease remains a high priority clinical issue for hospitals and health departments, who look to safety net organizations like Zufall for...
Meet Your Provider: Nereida “Nettie” Mendez, MS, LPC, NCC, PMH-C
Licensed Professional Counselor Nereida “Nettie” Mendez, MS, LPC, NCC, PMC-C, is a Behavioral Health Counselor and Recovery Support Services Coordinator at Zufall Health - Dover. Asked about her beginnings here, Mendez says that she “came in with the storm” – both literally and figuratively true. Superstorm Sandy, one of the most devastating natural disasters in New Jersey’s history, made landfall in the state on Mendez’s first day, October 29, 2012. Right...
Zufall Health Awarded Accreditation from The Joint Commission
Zufall Health announced today its first-ever accreditation by The Joint Commission, the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Ambulatory Health Care Accreditation recognizes Zufall’s ongoing commitment to providing safe and quality patient care. “This prestigious achievement validates Zufall’s dedication to excellent care for everyone,” said Zufall President and CEO Fran Palm. “We believe that access to safe and...
Why Public Health AmeriCorps Member Geralda Francois Is Committed to Her Community’s Health
When Zufall AmeriCorps member Geralda Francois was 15 years old, her life was upended by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti. Considered one of the biggest natural disasters in recorded history, the 2010 earthquake claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Francois remembers that for the millions of survivors, the public health impact was devastating. “Before the earthquake, most people couldn’t get adequate health care, unless they were very wealthy or left...