The newly established Middlesex County Community Health Team is a field-based campaign which includes door-to-door, phone and text messaging canvassing to provide information directly to residents at home on all resources and programs offered by the county.
The Middlesex County Board of Commissioners, in partnership with the Office of Health Services, the Department of Community Services, and other county departments and offices, have launched this service, which will include COVID-19 vaccines and testing, telehealth, emergency rental assistance, REPLENISH, MCAT, and more.
“The COVID-19 pandemic brought into sharp focus how limited access to county resources, including general health and wellness programs, can have a devastating effect on our community,” Board of County Commissioners Director Ronald G. Rios said in a prepared statement. “On our road to recovery, the county offers a variety of services and programs that go beyond COVID-19 resources to better serve our community and to bring us another step closer toward strengthening the long-term health of our county. Our goal now is to ensure that every county resident is aware of these resources and knows how to access them. Through their door-to-door efforts, the Community Health Team will help make that a reality.”
“With COVID-19 sharpening the focus on recent health and wellness trends, the Middlesex County Board of Commissioners understand just how vital our role is in ensuring our communities are taking a proactive approach to healthy living,” Deputy Director of the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners, Shanti Narra, said in the statement. “The county, in partnership with key leaders in the health industry, recognize that many of our initiatives related to the COVID-19 pandemic and social services require direct outreach to residents. And while engaging hard to reach communities on a massive scale has been a challenge in the past, the Middlesex County Community Health Team will help relieve barriers by providing access to valuable information and insights on care where it is needed the most and focusing on bilingual outreach needs.”
“The Middlesex County Community Health Team is a comprehensive effort meant to provide door-to-door, community-based information directly to residents about vital health and community services provided by the county,” County Commissioner Claribel Azcona-Barber said in the statement. “As a key component of this initiative, we encourage everyone in our Middlesex County community to participate and communicate if you need help related to COVID-19, healthcare and wellness, housing, employment, or food with a member from our Community Health Team.”
Although this is a countywide initiative, the Middlesex County Community Health Team will begin its operation in New Brunswick and Perth Amboy.
In addition to creating awareness and educating residents on health-based resources offered by the county, this initiative will connect multicultural families on a more personable level by prioritizing bilingual communication to ensure they are receiving support and relief.
The Middlesex County Community Health Team will be going door to door daily throughout the county from 1-6 p.m. as of Feb. 9.
Employees will be credentialed with identification badges as the “Middlesex Community Health Team” and will be wearing bright neon safety vests while they are working in the community.
Members of this team will wear masks and observe appropriate social distancing protocols while engaging residents, according to the statement.
For more information about the Middlesex County Community Health Team, visit Middlesexcountynj.gov/communityhealth.
