National Health Center Week: Why It Matters, and How You Can Support Community Health Centers Right Now
In August, we hosted family-focused health events in honor of National Health Center Week (NHCW) in Hackettstown and Franklin Township, where nearly 800 guests received school backpacks, food, and health resources. NHCW is celebrated annually to raise awareness of the importance of community health centers (CHCs), like Zufall Health, across the country. CHCs serve more than 31 million people nationally, reduce visits to the emergency room, and drive economic growth in their local communities.
Right now, we need your help to protect the future of Zufall Health! 70 percent of CHCs’ federal funding will expire on September 30, leaving the future of health care access uncertain for our nearly 45,000 patients. Please take a moment to stand up for CHCs and tell Congress to vote yes on a bill that will extend and increase our funding.
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ÁNDALE Helps Kids Exercise and Eat Healthier Foods
2023 marks the 10th anniversary of ÁNDALE, a holistic health program for Hispanic/Latino pediatric patients with obesity developed by pediatrician Amy Kotler, MD. ÁNDALE is Spanish for “Let’s get moving!” and an acronym for “Actividad, Nutricion, y Divertido para Latinos” (Activity, Nutrition, and Fun for Latinos). The program combines twice-weekly fitness classes for children and monthly nutrition education sessions for parents and has made a significant difference in Zufall patients’ and families’ lives.
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Meet Your Provider: Maria Menzel, MSW, LCSW
Maria V. Menzel, MSW, LCSW, is a senior behavioral health provider and licensed clinical social worker who bridges the gaps between physical and emotional health for her patients. Menzel became encouraged to dedicate her career to this integrated approach after a hospital social worker provided compassionate support to her family during a crisis. The experience revealed to her the importance of social workers in medical settings and paved the way for her current-day career in social work at Zufall Health.
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From Zufall AmeriCorps Member to Emerging Public Health Leader
Laura Eirich, MPH, who oversees the Office of Community Health Workers at the Kentucky Department for Public Health, says it was her volunteer service with Zufall Health AmeriCorps in 2014-2015 that most significantly shaped her career. Based in Zufall's Somerville office, newly opened at the time, Eirich primarily conducted community outreach, a duty that aligns closely with the community health worker function she administers today. She recommends Zufall AmeriCorps because "you’ll see how the pieces fit together in the public health system, all while getting to serve your community on a deeper level,"
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The Early Days of Zufall's Patient-Centered Care, as Told by the New York Times
As we continue to celebrate the 99th birthday of our founder, Robert Zufall, MD (aka “Dr. Bob”), we turn to a 1992 New York Times story for a closer look at his life. In the 1980s, he and his wife, Kay, found fulfillment providing volunteer medical care in Latin America. Ultimately, the couple wished to be of service closer to home in their retirement. And so, they founded what is today Zufall Health inside St. John’s Episcopal Church in Dover. Here, Dr. Bob and Kay's commitment to putting people first laid the foundation for the patient-centered care we still provide today.
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