Leveraging Technology to Combat Isolation Conference

The Community Chest of Eastern Bergen County (The Community Chest) will hold the conference, “Building Connections: Leveraging Technology to Combat Isolation”, on Wednesday, December 4, 2024 at LG Headquarters, located in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The conference, a project of The Community Chest’s Connections Initiative, offers a unique opportunity for professionals to explore new tools to use with people of all ages, who are suffering from loneliness and social isolation and need some form of connection.

The conference is free and open to the public. Practitioners from all disciplines, who work with people exhibiting loneliness and seek new ideas and interventions to help them make connections, are encouraged to attend. People interested in attending the conference must register in advance.

“While some consider technology and social media a potential contributing factor to loneliness, others are forging ahead and developing technological tools to offer people new methods of coping with these feelings. The conference will explore various types of technological tools created recently to provide alternatives to foster meaningful connections and reduce feelings of isolation,” said Dr. Shelly Wimpfheimer, Executive Director, The Community Chest of Eastern Bergen County.

The members of the conference’s planning committee include Karen Acker from West Bergen Mental Healthcare, Jacob Boyle from MARCO Health, Stephanie Drag from Children’s Aid and Family Service, Angela Iskenderian from The Community Chest, Teri McMahon from Vantage Health, and Violet Sudol from Helper Bears.

Sponsors are needed to cover the costs of the conference. Prospective sponsors are asked to contact Dr. Shelly Wimpfheimer to discuss opportunities at 201-568-7474 or send an e-mail.

Connections Initiative

During The Community Chest’s 90th anniversary year, The Connections Initiative was developed in response to U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy’s declaration of loneliness as the greatest public health issue of our time, resulting in serious health conditions among those who are isolated and lonely. According to the Surgeon General’s report, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, published in 2023, a near epidemic of social isolation exists in the United States. The report found nearly 50 percent of the people studied experienced loneliness. The reasons for loneliness vary and the conditions look different in various settings and across the age groups.

Learn more about the Connections Initiative on The Community Chest’s website. Contributions to support the program may be sent by check made out to The Community Chest, located at 122 South Van Brunt Street, 2nd Floor, Englewood, NJ 07631. Donations are tax-deductible, as permitted by law.