Recent donations will enhance cancer care, address mental health issues and help fight the opioid epidemic.
Community members ranging from cancer patients to adolescent boys stand to benefit from several significant donations to the Somerset Health Care Foundation. “The generous support we’ve received will dramatically improve the quality of life for many Somerset County residents,” says Paul Hubert, chairman of the Somerset Health Care Foundation’s Board of Trustees. “We’re grateful for the ongoing partnership we have with many local organizations and businesses.” Here’s how the funds will be used:
The Far Hills Race Meeting Association and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset are partnering to improve community health in Somerset County and the Far Hills area. In total, $885,000 has been awarded to five local non-profit organizations: the Cancer Support Community of Central New Jersey, which helps cancer patients cope with social and emotional issues; The Arc of Somerset County, which provides vocational and transitional services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; Bonnie Brae, a residential treatment center for at-risk adolescent boys; Community in Crisis, which is dedicated to fighting the opioid epidemic; and Life Camp, a summer day camp for Newark-area youth. The Far Hills Race Meeting Association is RWJUH Somerset’s largest benefactor; to date, the organization has donated more than $18 million to the hospital.
To mark the 10th anniversary of its support for cancer patients at the Steeplechase Cancer Center, the Bridgewater-based pharmaceutical company Sanofi donated $100,000 in 2018. The funds will be used for the Sanofi US Wellness Boutique and the Cancer Center’s Patient Assistance Fund. The Wellness Boutique provides skin care products, swimsuits, wigs and other items for cancer patients. The Patient Assistance Fund covers expenses for patients, such as transportation to the hospital for treatment, groceries and utility bills. Sanofi also donated $10,000 to support the hospital’s Healthier Somerset Coalition and Community Health Improvement Plan, which will address mental health, substance abuse and obesity, as well as other public health issues, in Somerset County.
The Johnson & Johnson Community Health Care Fund donated $105,000 to support the hospital’s El Poder Sabre La Diabetes program. The goals are to raise awareness and knowledge of diabetes among the underserved Latino population in Somerset County.
The Kalafer Family, The Flemington Car and Truck Country Family of Brands, the Somerset Patriots, Clinton Honda and Land Rover of Princeton donated $250,000. The funds were used to purchase an operating room table for vascular procedures (related to the arteries or veins), and are earmarked for RWJUH Somerset’s priority projects.
For more information on how to support RWJUH Somerset, contact the Somerset Health Care Foundation at 908.685.2885.