November 13, 2014
As part of a comprehensive plan to improve health care options for local residents, the Salem Health and Wellness Foundation (SHWF) today announced that it has joined forces with the Community Foundation of New Jersey (CFNJ), and together the two organizations have established a $51 million fund that will dramatically increase spending on health and wellness initiatives in Salem County.
The funding agreement provides that CFNJ will make grant awards with the advice and counsel of the SHWF Board of Directors and that the partnership will leverage significant new grantmaking opportunities that will allow a dramatic expansion of health and wellness initiatives to benefit Salem County residents.
“With this alliance, our goal is to increase the spending on health initiatives in Salem County in the coming year,” said Brenda Goins, SHWF Executive Director, noting that the organization’s goal is to award between $1 and $2 million in 2015. “Our ultimate goal is to expand to $2.5 million in the years to come, and all of it will be spent to improve health and wellness for Salem County residents only.”
Goins explained that the new alliance with CFNJ, a public charity with more than $320 million in assets, allows Salem County to capitalize on CFNJ’s existing relationships and its expertise in grant-making across the region and throughout New Jersey to provide greater opportunities for Salem County. She noted the pressing need to expand the reach of SHWF’s programs, pointing out that Salem County’s residents rank second to last for health behavior among New Jersey’s 21 counties, and last for length of life.
“This alliance allows us to take advantage of CFNJ’s size and experience to create new ways to improve health care for our residents,” Goins said. “There is a critical need to expand services, and we believe this is the best way to achieve that goal.”
CFNJ’s President, Hans Dekker, agreed. “We are enthusiastic about the synergies that this relationship will bring, all for one purpose: to promote the health of individuals and families in Salem County,” he said.
Dekker and Goins also expressed interest in speaking with the Memorial Hospital of Salem County leadership and all potential non-profit participants about the possibility of using grants from the Fund to support the best plan to promote health through the Hospital.
“There are many creative ways to address the health needs of our residents,” said Goins. “We want to work together to do just that.”