NOW Community Development Corporation. Headquartered in Newark, New Hope NOW provides a wide range of social services that promote upward mobility within the Greater Newark region. “The inclusive approach of NJ HEROES TOO helps to maximize the number of people who would like to participate in the study but might otherwise fall through the cracks without our involvement,” stated Mariekarl Vilceus-Talty, president and chief executive officer of the Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey. The Partnership for Maternal and Child Health consists of healthcare professionals and consumers who facilitate collaboration among the private sector, the public sector, and maternal and child healthcare providers to foster high quality coordinated maternal and child healthcare. Vilceus-Talty further stated that, “The community conversation salons allow us to continually learn from each other and give us the opportunity to meet with experts who are highly regarded in their respective disciplines.” José Carlos Montes, chief executive officer of the Puerto Rican Action Board (PRAB), agreed noting, “It’s important to empower our people to take an active role in their own healthcare and gain access to new research while helping themselves and others. NJ HEROES TOO’s publicly-engaged scholarship approach definitely is a win-win for the academy and the community.” A comprehensive human services organization, PRAB offers early childhood, youth, family, housing, and social services to more than 25,000 individuals and families annually in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, and Central New Jersey. Robert Rosati, vice president of research and quality at the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) Health Group, one of four healthcare worker organizations collaborating in the study, echoed the sentiments of the others. “It takes a village to protect, heal, and empower a community.” With more than 1,500 certified home health aides, therapists, social workers, and visiting nurses, VNA Health Group is New Jersey’s largest nonprofit community health provider of home health, hospice, and community services. “Community partners want to be involved in research that impacts their constituents,” said Hill. “It’s a matter of building trustworthiness and respecting the expertise the public brings to the table. Just reach out and extend community allies an invitation. In my experience, very few decline the offer.” “Our doors are always open to those whose interests intersect with the mission of the NAACP and who want to help us improve the lives of our community members,” confirmed Bruce Morgan, president of the New Brunswick Area Branch NAACP. The branch serves Bound Brook, East Brunswick, Franklin Township (Somerset County), Highland Park, Hillsborough, Middlesex Borough, Milltown, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, Piscataway, Sayreville, Somerville, South Brunswick, and South River.
“Too often, community is left out of the research design and implementation. This project strongly values and embraces community expertise and complements the work of its community partners.” Francis Dixon, Executive Director
New Hope NOW Community Development Corporation
community, undertaken primarily to benefit constituents of that community,” explained Hill. “Publicly-engaged scholarship seeks to improve the lives of individuals beyond the boundaries of the university.” NJ HEROES TOO co-principal investigator, Manny Jiménez, assistant professor of pediatrics and family medicine and community health at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; Maria B. Pellerano, assistant professor of family medicine and community health at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; and Hill spearhead engagement with community-based organizations. Jeanne Ferrante, a professor of family medicine and community health and director of the New Jersey Primary Care Research Network at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, coordinates the healthcare worker organizations. Representatives from the organizations began meeting in October 2020. The agenda consisted of design team meetings (also referred to as community conversations and salons) during which they assisted Rutgers researchers in devising tools for engaging Black and Latinx communities. The representatives also helped design messaging and educational materials and developed strategies to inform community members of COVID-19 testing and the NJ HEROES TOO study. Additionally, the organizations assisted with recruiting individuals to sign up for in-home saliva- based testing, identify resources for positive cases, and provided connections to local resources for future testing. “Moreover, with the help of the different partner organizations, we quickly formed focus groups and conducted interviews, which were key components of our community engagement model,” noted Ferrante. “Too often, community is left out of the research design and implementation. This project strongly values and embraces community expertise and complements the work of its community partners,” shared Francis Dixon, executive director of New Hope
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