NJDOH
Partnership Portfolio
Advancing rural health, equity, and access across New Jersey
The Center for Health Equity & Wellbeing, New Jersey’s Public Health Institute (CHEW-NJPHI), is proud to partner with the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) on transformative initiatives designed to strengthen rural health infrastructure, expand access to care, and advance health equity.
Through this partnership portfolio, CHEW-NJPHI is helping lead coordinated strategies that support workforce development, place-based community action, and innovative approaches to connecting residents to the care and services they need.
Stronger Communities.
Better Health. Together.
CHEW-NJPHI’s partnership with NJDOH reflects a shared commitment to improving health outcomes in communities that have historically faced barriers to care, workforce shortages, and longstanding inequities. This portfolio includes three connected initiatives that work together to build healthier rural communities: Invest Rural NJ, Rural Health Opportunity Zones (rHOZs), and HealthReach.
Our Portfolio
Our Three Connected Initatives
Growing and stabilizing New Jersey’s rural clinical workforce:
Invest Rural NJ is a rural workforce incentive initiative designed to recruit and retain clinicians in rural communities across New Jersey. The program supports a stronger, more stable healthcare workforce by providing incentives that help rural sites attract new talent and retain existing providers serving communities with limited access to care.
Invest Rural NJ is focused on improving access to primary care, dental care, and behavioral health services in rural areas by reducing workforce shortages, vacancy duration, and turnover. The initiative is designed to support rural providers and sites in building sustainable staffing models that improve continuity of care for residents.
By investing in the people who deliver care, Invest Rural NJ helps address one of the most significant barriers to better health outcomes in rural communities: reliable access to a qualified and committed clinical workforce.
(Click here to view a PDF preview of the Invest Rural NJ application before beginning the online application.)
Additional Invest Rural NJ Resources:
- Social Vulnerability Interactive (SVI) Map - SVI Interactive Map | Place and Health - Geospatial Research, Analysis, and Services Program (GRASP) | ATSDR
- Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer - Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer
- Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Finder - HPSA Find
- Find Medically Underserved Area and Medically Underserved Population (MUA/P) designations - Find MUA/P
Get More Information
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Email questions about Invest Rural NJ to investruralnj@
equityandwellbeing.org.
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Stay up to date on Invest Rural NJ updates by joining the listserv at Invest Rural NJ Listserv
Advancing place-based, community-centered health equity in rural New Jersey
CHEW-NJPHI’s rural Health Opportunity Zones, or rHOZs, extend the organization’s signature place-based health equity model into rural communities. The rural HOZ model is intended to strengthen civic capacity, deepen cross-sector collaboration, and create pathways for long-term, community-informed action on the social and structural factors that shape health. CHEW-NJPHI is advancing rHOZ work in Pemberton, Bridgeton, and Flemington, rural municipalities that include federally recognized rural census tracts.
Learn more about our signature HOZ program.
Using technology to connect rural residents to care and coverage
HealthReach is an AI-enabled community outreach platform designed to help identify residents with unmet health-related social needs, screen for eligibility for public coverage, and connect people to care. The initiative focuses on reaching individuals who may not have a usual source of care, have fallen out of care, or need help navigating available services and supports.
Through HealthReach, CHEW-NJPHI, and its private-sector partner, are working to create a more accessible and responsive pathway for rural residents to connect with healthcare and supportive resources. The platform is intended to reduce barriers to access by making it easier to identify need, provide guidance, and link individuals to appropriate next steps.
HealthReach reflects CHEW-NJPHI’s commitment to pairing innovation with equity, using technology in ways that are practical, community-informed, and centered on improving access for populations too often missed by traditional systems. HealthReach is in partnership with Jasfel Analytics.
Learn more about Jasfel Analytics.
How the Portfolio Works Together
While each initiative serves a distinct purpose, Invest Rural NJ, rHOZs, and HealthReach are designed to reinforce one another.
Together, these initiatives represent a coordinated rural health transformation strategy, one that addresses workforce, community conditions, and access simultaneously. This integrated approach helps create stronger systems of care and a more equitable foundation for health in rural New Jersey.
Why It Matters
Rural communities are essential to the health and future of New Jersey. Yet, many continue to face challenges related to provider shortages, access to preventive and ongoing care, transportation barriers, and unmet social needs. Addressing these challenges requires more than a single intervention. It requires partnership, innovation, and sustained commitment.
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Provider Shortages
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Transportation Barriers
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Preventative Care Gaps
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Unmet Social Needs
