PO Box 360
Trenton, NJ 08625-0360

For Release:
May 1, 2018

Shereef Elnahal
Commissioner

For Further Information Contact:
Office of Communications
(609) 984-7160

Media Advisory: New Jersey Department of Health hosts 2nd Rural Health Symposium

On Thursday, May 3, the New Jersey Department of Health will host its 2nd Rural Health Symposium focused on Quality Through Collaboration: An Integrated Approach to Improving Health in New Jersey Communities.

The event will begin at 10:00 am at Cumberland Community College, Luciano Conference Center, 3322 College Drive, Vineland, NJ  08360.

New Jersey Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal will speak at 10:45am and present the NJ Rural Community Innovation Awards. Following the Commissioner, Valerie Mielke, MSW, Assistant Commissioner-Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services will deliver the keynote address which will focus on accessing behavioral health services in New Jersey’s rural communities.

The symposium will feature four workshop sessions focused on combating the opioid epidemic in rural NJ, bringing healthy food access to underserved rural communities, driving telehealth into rural communities and ensuring access to care.

Nine percent of New Jersey’s more 8 million residents live in rural areas. 

The symposium is a collaborative effort with the New Jersey Primary Care Association (NJPCA).

The 1st Rural Health Symposium, co-sponsored by NJDOH and the NJPCA, was held on April 21, 2016, to foster policy development, networking, information sharing and resource coordination among government agencies, health care providers and social services to meet the health care needs of New Jersey’s rural populations. 

For more information on New Jersey’s 2nd Rural Health Symposium, visit http://www.njpca.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1070961.

Follow the New Jersey Department of Health on Twitter at twitter.com/NJDeptofHealth and on Facebook at facebook.com/NJDeptofHealth.

Last Reviewed: 5/1/2018