Be Well: October 2022 Newsletter (Está Bien: Boletín octubre 2022)

Our 2021 Annual Report is now available!

Inaugural Class of Community Dental Health Coordinators Will Close Gaps for the Dentally Underserved

On September 9, we honored our first-ever class of Community Dental Health Coordinators (CDHCs) in a graduation ceremony that capped a one-year program led by Zufall Health Chief Dental Officer Sam Wakim, DMD, MPH. Developed by the American Dental Association and initiated in 2007, the CDHC program trains dental professionals and other health professionals to improve access to oral health care. The training is the first of its kind in New Jersey and the first based at a community health center. NJ Assemblywoman Aura K. Dunn (R-25) and Dover Mayor Carolyn Blackman were among the speakers at the ceremony.

Health Care Made Available to Franklin Township Children Where They Learn

Our new school-based health center (SBHC) makes medical care – including preventive health screenings, physicals, immunizations, treatment of minor illness, and nutritional counseling – available to the 1,100-plus students in the Franklin Township School District in Somerset County. In this high-need district, 17 percent of households qualify as low-income, 20 percent do not have health insurance or regular access to primary care, and 69 percent of residents identify as members of a racial or ethnic minority group.

Meet Your Provider: Marcella Perez, MD

Zufall Health Family Medicine Physician Marcella Perez, M.D., is a first-generation Colombian American. She sees children and adults at our Morristown and West Orange locations. Dr. Perez is proud to serve her Spanish-speaking patients in their native language. It is easy for information to get lost in translation, as her family members have experienced. And, with Latina women significantly underrepresented in medicine, Dr. Perez is determined to be an inspiration to her Latina patients.

A Week of Celebration for Community Health Centers

Every year in early August the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) leads National Health Center Week (NHCW), a campaign celebrating the essential contributions that the country's 1400-plus Community Health Centers (CHCs) like Zufall make to local communities across the U.S. Learn more about why CHCs are cause for celebration.

How Telehealth Transformed Our Delivery of Care

When Zufall Health’s clinical leadership first began discussions about telehealth, COVID-19 had yet to enter anyone’s vocabulary. Now, with more than 26,000 patients served by the telehealth program in the past two years, the tool has become essential to the delivery of medical and behavioral health care. Moving forward, Zufall's clinical leadership is eager to expand the program to increase the accessibility of care to patients who are geographically isolated or limited by physical infirmities, childcare concerns, or work schedules.

Ask Dr. Bob: What is Depression?

October is National Depression and Health Screening Month and Zufall founder Robert Zufall, MD (aka Dr. Bob) addresses this common behavioral health disorder. Anyone can get depressed at any age and there are a number of treatments, including medication and psychotherapy, available to help. If you think that you or someone you know is suffering from depression, speak to your health care provider.

Art Shows Resume in Dover Headquarters After a Three-Year COVID Hiatus

On September 16, we hosted the opening reception of a new group exhibition, "Movement," as part of our Arts in Health program. Exhibiting artists were overjoyed to return to sharing their work with other creatives in person. The exhibition's more than 60 original works include representational and abstract drawings, paintings, collage, and photography.

"Be Well" is a quarterly publication of Zufall Health.

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