Oct 10, 2018 Institute for Prevention and Recovery Rolls out Barnegat’s Communities That Care (CTC) Initiative

RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery continued a state-wide rollout of Communities That Care (CTC) with the launch of Barnegat’s CTC initiative. Communities That Care is a data-driven process that engages hundreds of communities across the country, and world, to help youth thrive.

The Barnegat initiative kicked off with a Key Leader Orientation at Cecil Collins Elementary School. Nearly 40 community leaders attended, including Superintendent Brian Latwis, EdD, representatives from the Barnegat Police Department including Chief Keith Germain, Deputy Mayor Alfonso Cirulli, school leadership and members of the Board of Education.

“I am really excited for the opportunity of the Barnegat School District to continue our partnership with RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery, including Roberta Rapisardi and Megan Tucker, to guide the Barnegat community through the Communities That Care process,” said Superintendent Brian Latwis, EdD. “I am honored to have been able to take a leadership role in this process and work with the Barnegat community as a whole to drive this process in promoting healthy behaviors among our youth.”

The Institute for Prevention and Recovery is committed to turning the tide of the opioid epidemic. According to new preliminary data from the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner, New Jersey saw 2,750 drug overdose fatalities in 2017—approaching eight per day on average. Communities That Care initiatives expand the Institute’s state-wide prevention efforts, taking a proactive approach to stopping the cycle of substance use before it begins.

Communities That Care aligns with social impact, collective impact and environmental strategies in an effort to increase protective factors and decrease risk factors for youth. Barnegat is the third community to implement CTC through RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery, joining initiatives already underway in Newark and Toms River. The Institute for Prevention and Recovery’s CTC initiatives are the first to launch in the state of New Jersey.

The Communities That Care initiative is a component of the RWJBarnabas Health Social Impact and Community Investment Practice (SICI), focused on addressing the social, economic and environmental conditions that contribute to poor health outcomes, reduced life expectancy and higher costs. This initiative in particular begins with a youth survey to identify a community’s risks and strengths. Based on the data, CTC helps communities select and implement evidence based prevention programs and policies in addition to amplifying programs already working in the community.

RWJBH’s SICI practice takes a unique collective impact approach to building communities’ whole health, and a key driver of the system’s mission. A wide spectrum of initiatives, including this CTC initiative, are being co-designed alongside communities within the RWJBH footprint, aimed at eliminating health care disparities and addressing social determinants of health.

For more information on the Barnegat Communities That Care initiative, contact Roberta Rapisardi, Community Prevention Specialist, at Roberta.Rapisardi@rwjbh.org.