Zufall Health’s Family Fun Day Events Serve Nearly 800 People, Highlight the Significance of Community Health Centers

Zufall Health celebrated National Health Center Week with two lively and family-friendly health events earlier this month: on Saturday, August 5, at its Hackettstown office, with 400 attendees, and on Thursday, August 17 at Franklin Middle School, the site of its school-based health center, with 375 attendees.

Guests enjoyed a host of health services, resources, and activities during the celebrations that converged with the start of the back-to-school season, including: backpacks with school supplies and hygiene kits; nutrition education; oral health education and dental kits; lunch; fresh produce; crafts and games; maternal health education, and health insurance enrollment assistance. Resources from the following community partners were also available: Aetna, Franklin Food Bank, Franklin Township Police Department, Franklin Township Public Schools, Franklin Youth Center, Greater Somerset County YMCA, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ, NJ FamilyCare, Norwescap, Parent to Parent Addiction Services, Project Self Sufficiency, the Somerset County Department of Health, and the Warren County Department of Health.  

A group of children are thrilled to model their new backpacks at Franklin Middle School.

National Health Center Week (August 6 – 12) is an annual celebration of and awareness campaign for the country’s 1500-plus community health centers (CHCs) like Zufall Health, which provide primary, dental, and non-clinical supportive services to more than 31 million patients, or about 1 in 11 people in the U.S.  

“The enthusiastic community response to National Health Center Week underscores our vital role in the health care system. That is, Zufall Health provides anyone, regardless of their circumstances or ability to pay, with access to high-quality, affordable, culturally responsive health services that address their complete health needs.” said Frances Palm, MPA, president and chief executive officer of Zufall Health. 

Earlier in August, President Biden acknowledged National Health Center Week, stating: “Time and again, evidence reveals that health centers make a powerful difference in the communities they serve…These investments are a matter of human dignity and fairness. When we fail to invest in the health outcomes of some communities, we all suffer. But when we take the necessary actions to improve care in every zip code, we are all better for it.” 

Biden’s remarks come as CHCs navigate the financial uncertainty of a federal funding extension that is set to expire on September 30. Unless Congress acts quickly to authorize another extension, CHCs will suffer a 70 percent cut in federal funding, a devastating possibility given that CHCs already operate with limited resources and require sustained and reliable funding to provide essential services and divert people from emergency care.  

Nationally, 90 percent of CHC patients are low-income, 19 percent and uninsured, and many are members of key vulnerable populations such as people experiencing homelessness, agricultural workers, seniors, public housing residents, and military veterans. CHCs save the U.S. health care system an estimated $24 billion annually and generate about $85 million in local economic activity.

Zufall’s National Health Center Week events were generously underwritten by Aetna, BD, Benco Dental, Delta Dental of New Jersey, Fingerpaint, Fulton Bank, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, and Valley Bank.