(New Brunswick)—Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital’s (RWJUH) Injury Prevention Program recently accepted a proclamation from the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders in recognition of April’s designation as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The Middlesex County Center for Empowerment invited RWJUH to receive the proclamation.
Accepting the proclamation on behalf of RWJUH was Child Life Specialist Michelle Cumber, who is also a member of the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking Healthcare Committee, based at RWJUH. (Pictured from left to right: Middlesex County Freeholder, Shanti Narra; Michelle Cumber, RWJUH Child Life Specialist and Human Trafficking Awareness Advocate; and Samantha Dooley, Arts & Wellness Coordinator, Middlesex Center for Empowerment.)
“We are honored to be accepting this proclamation from the MC Board of Chosen Freeholders, recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month. During the last five years, the RWJUH Injury Prevention Program has created a sub-committee that has been very active in addressing Human Trafficking, a form of sexual assault and child abuse,” Cumber explained. “The Middlesex County Center for Empowerment is an important member, supporting these efforts in numerous ways. The Human Trafficking Healthcare Committee has been instrumental in raising awareness of human trafficking in the community and among hospital staff. In addition, the Committee has facilitated several conferences, hosted film screenings, and facilitated trauma-informed training for hospital staff to improve recognition and referral of victims to appropriate community resources.”
RWJUH Injury Prevention Coordinator Diana Starace is an active member of the Middlesex County Sexual Violence Prevention Committee, collaborating on numerous projects throughout the year to raise awareness in the community and on RWJUH’s campus. RWJUH recognizes Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Denim Day every April through the distribution of denim pins and resources for hospital staff and visitors. The lights on hospital’s East Tower are lit in teal to honor those who have been victims of sexual assault.
RWJUH’s Injury Prevention Program has partnered with the Middlesex County Center for Empowerment for nearly a decade. Together, the hospital and Center have been successful in raising awareness throughout Middlesex County of the many forms of sexual violence and related prevention strategies.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), an RWJBarnabas Health Facility, is a 600-bed academic medical center that serves as the principal teaching hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, orthopedics, bariatric surgery and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). A Level 1 Trauma Center and the first designated Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.
RWJUH has been ranked among the best hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report seven times and has been selected by the publication as a high performing hospital in numerous specialties. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital has been ranked among the best hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report five times. In addition, RWJUH was named among the best places to work in health care by Modern Healthcare magazine and received the Equity Care of Award as Top Hospital for Healthcare Diversity and Inclusion from the American Hospital Association. RWJUH Brunswick has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety, including the prestigious Magnet® Award for Nursing Excellence and “Most Wired” designation by Hospitals and Health Networks Magazine. The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer has rated RWJUH among the nation’s best comprehensive cancer centers. For more Information visit us online at www.rwjbh.org/newbrunswick.
Contact:Peter Haigney
RWJUH Public Relations
(732) 937-8568