Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Hunterdon Health’s mission is to embrace people, elevate care and cultivate healthier communities. As a vital component of that mission, Hunterdon Health is committed to improving our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts not only for our employees but also to better serve our patients and their families as it directly affects patient health outcomes and quality of life in a profound way.
Health equity ensures that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health. We attain health equity by recognizing and addressing historical and contemporary injustices, helping our community overcome economic, social, and other obstacles to health and health care and eliminating preventable health disparities.
Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by those who have been disadvantaged by their social or economic status, geographic location, and environment. Many populations that experience health disparities include people from some racial and ethnic minority groups, people with disabilities, women, people who are LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, or other), people with limited English proficiency, and other groups.
At Hunterdon Health, we continually strive to recognize and close health disparities, promote health equity and advocate for health justice. Practicing DEI will ensure the success of our mission and guarantee all of our community members have access to services and feel safe, supported, and respected when seeking healthcare.
DEI Initiatives & Programs at Hunterdon Health
Hunterdon Health welcomes Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA) patients and families.
A dedicated Nurse Navigator, Dawn Lacey, is available to support LGBTQ+ community members and their families find compassionate care specific to their needs. Please call or text 908-246-8309 for more information.
Please see LGBTQ+ Navigation for more information.
To better serve our deaf and hard-of-hearing patients and help eliminate any barriers that might be hindering patients from receiving effective communication and quality of care, Hunterdon Health has installed a hearing loop system at most registration check-in points within Hunterdon Medical Center, Hunterdon Health physician practices, outpatient facilities, and the fitness studios and front desks of the Hunterdon Health and Wellness Centers in Clinton and Whitehouse Station.
Hearing loops are for patients and visitors who have a hearing aid or cochlear implant with a Telecoil. The hearing loop is a wire that transmits sounds electromagnetically. The electromagnetic signal is then picked up by the Telecoil (or T-coil) in a hearing aid. The T-coil is a small copper coil that is found in most hearing aids and functions as a wireless antenna that links to the sound system and delivers customized sound to the listener. Once the user flips the switch to T-coil mode on their hearing aid or blue tooth streamer, the hearing loop bridges the space between the listener and the sound source eliminating background noise.
Portable devices, patient pocket talkers, video sign language interpretation and a CART (real-time captioning system) are available upon request.
Language assistance and interpreters are available upon request for those whose primary language is not English, free of charge, and educational resources are available in multiple languages.
Hunterdon Health utilizes Propio Language Services, the largest professional interpreting and translation services company in the United States providing services for American Sign Language and over 350 languages.
In addition, our bilingual Community Health Workers are available to assist our Spanish-speaking patients navigate the healthcare system and connect them to services. Please call 908-237-7039 for assistance.
Hablamos Español!! Llame al 908-237-7039 para obtener ayuda.
*Acceda a una cartera de programas educativos disponibles a pedido en español.
Our Financial Assistance Program is for qualifying families with limited incomes and/or extenuating circumstances.
To determine whether you or your family qualifies for this program, please call the Financial Assistance Office at 908- 788-6194 (option 2) to learn more or request an application or visit the Financial Assistance webpage to check eligibility.
The Hunterdon County Medication Access Program (HCMAP) is designed to help provide individuals with the prescription medications they need, as well as to educate each person on resources available to assist them in leading a healthier life.
Please call HCMAP at 908-788-6572 or visit the HCMAP webpage.
The Hunterdon NJ Cancer Education and Early Detection (NJCEED) grant program at the Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center has been providing free cancer screenings services since 1997. It provides comprehensive outreach, education and screening services for breast, cervical, colorectal and prostate cancers. In addition, NJCEED staff conducts English-Spanish outreach, education, and navigation services to improve care for the underserved population.
Please call 908-237-7039 or 908-237-5409 for more information on the program, eligibility, and screening guidelines.
(Desde 1997, el Centro Regional de Cáncer del condado de Hunterdon ha sido recipiente de una subvención/ fondo de salud que ofrece exámenes gratis de detección temprana del cáncer. Para participar en el programa, llame al 908-237-7039 o al 908-237-5409.)
Hunterdon Health’s Center for Healthy Aging offers a geriatric assessment program for those with complex and/or multiple health concerns. The Central Jersey Regional Memory Center provides individuals with memory concerns a place to go for early detection, compassionate care and memory loss education and support groups.
Please call 908-788-6373 or visit our website for more information about the programs offered.
Healthy Harvest Rx at the Center for Nutrition and Diabetes Management is a grant-funded program with the goal to decrease social-health inequities and improve patients’ health outcomes. Participants receive fresh produce from America’s Grow-A-Row. The referral-based program serves those with food insecurity, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and high cholesterol. For more information, please call (908) 237-6920 ext. 7307.
Hunterdon Health is proud to work with goHunterdon, a Transportation Management Association in Hunterdon County, NJ, to provide free Lyft and Uber rides to seniors in our community so they are able to get to their preventive care appointments. Through the Healthcare Access Transportation Program, a team works directly with home medical care coordinators at Hunterdon Health to identify patients 60 years or older who are at risk of missing non-emergency medical appointments due to a lack of transportation.
There are also many other transportation options available throughout Hunterdon County for those who do not own a car or are unable to drive.
Hunterdon Health Earns “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer” Designation in Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Healthcare Equality Index
Hunterdon Health has received the “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer” designation from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC). In its 16th edition, the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) is the national LGBTQ+ benchmarking tool that evaluates healthcare facilities’ policies and practices related to the equity and inclusion of LGBTQ+ patients, visitors and employees. The HEI 2024 evaluates more than 2,400 healthcare facilities nationwide. A record 1,065 healthcare facilities actively participated in the HEI 2024 survey and 462 healthcare facilities achieved the “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer” designation. Hunterdon Health has an LGBTQIA Nurse Navigator to provide services for the community and has always been dedicated to supporting inclusivity and diversity in the workplace.
In 2022 and 2020, Hunterdon Health earned the “LGBTQ Health Care Equality Leader and Top Performer” Designation in Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Healthcare Equality Index.