$500,000 For Doctor Training In High-Need Areas Announced in Red Bank

RED BANK, NJ — Funding for a primary care physician residency program for the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey (VNACJ) was announced Friday at its Community Health Center in Red Bank.

Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. spoke at the center to announce the $500,000 federal grant for the program that he said is the first of its kind in the state.

"Primary care physicians are the keystone of our nation's health care system and are all too often the only providers in high-need communities," said Congressman Pallone, 6th District. "Unfortunately, we are increasingly facing a shortage of these vital frontline providers across the country."

He said the planning grant can help address this shortage "by allowing the VNACJ to set up the first primary care residency program at community health centers in New Jersey.”

The grant comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Pallone's office said.

The VNACJ will use the grant to design a program for primary care doctors to train at its centers not only in Red Bank but also in Asbury Park, Keyport and Long Branch.

“As community health centers specialize in providing care to those enduring health inequities in our most vulnerable communities, the expansion of resident training in these settings is critical,” said Christopher Rinn, CEO, VNACJ Community Health Center.

“I am grateful to Congressman Pallone and the federal Health Resources and Services Administration for supporting our efforts to address the need for more primary care doctors in the areas of Monmouth County with the greatest shortage.”

Rinn also thanked Carole Johnson, administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, who was in attendance.

"Congressman Pallone and Ms. Johnson have always been extraordinary advocates for our state’s residents, and particularly the disenfranchised communities that we serve at our Community Health Centers in Freehold, Keyport, Asbury Park, and right here in Red Bank.

"Today, however, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for their role in the newest and most exciting development for VNACJ: securing and awarding a Teaching Health Center Grant for $500,000," Rinn said.

The announcement took place at the Red Bank Community Health Center, located for the past several months at 64-66 Bridge Avenue, across from the Red Bank train station. Pallone and Johnson toured the facility. Local officials, including Mayor Billy Portman, were also in attendance.

"To be in a location more accessible to our patients, close to public transit, with state-of-the-art facilities is such a privilege," Rinn said.

VNACJ Community Health Center is particularly well suited for this primary care residency program, the organization said. It is working in partnership with Monmouth Medical Center Hospital, a member of the RWJBarnabas Health System, in Long Branch.

The plan is to have residents gain educational experience in the Long Branch hospital, particularly in the inpatient and emergency room departments.