SOMERSET – They were heroes for our country, and they are heroes again for New Jersey’s former service members; the seven NJHA veteran health navigators were honored Tuesday morning as winners of the Education Hero- Organization award by NJBIZ at the 10th annual Healthcare Heroes awards program.
New Jersey is home to more than 428,000 veterans. For many, accessing primary and mental health care can be a great challenge. To address this, the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA) and several other organizations have called upon members of our veteran community to assist those who are not receiving the care they need. They served in war zones and in peacetime. They include Purple Heart recipients and PhDs.
The navigators assist fellow veterans in getting the appropriate care as well as social supports, and have spent the spring touring South Jersey providing outreach at clinical screening events. In addition to linking former service members and their families to care, the navigators are also working with clinicians around the state to better inform them about the military culture and the unique challenges veterans face when seeking healthcare.
“These veterans are not only educating other veterans about opportunities for better health, but they are educating our state’s healthcare systems on how to better serve those who have served us,” said NJHA President and CEO Betsy Ryan.
The navigators are:
* Francis “Bud” Funk, of Edgewater Park, Marine Corps;
* Norman F. “Norm” Glover, Jr., of East Windsor, Army;
* Vernon Hall, PhD, of Asbury Park, Army;
* Michael Mimms, EdD, of Sicklerville, Marine Corps;
* Edward “Ed” Sadowski, of Winslow Township, Army;
* Don Sanford, of Pennsauken, Air Force; and
* Jaye Silver, PhD, of Pennsauken, Air Force.
Their work is funded by grants from the New Jersey Department of Health, United Health Foundation and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Hospital Engagement Network.
NJHA first engaged with the veteran community through the Affordable Care Act; unemployed veterans were hired to help screen and enroll uninsured persons for the Health Insurance Marketplace or Medicaid. The success of the collaboration led to the three additional grant programs using veteran navigators to improve access to appropriate care.
More information on the veteran navigators program is available on Facebook, at www.Facebook.com/ServingThoseWhoServed.
