HZ-WIH-Sidebar-CommunityHealth

For many people, good health has more to do with their zip code than their genetic code. That’s why we created Horizon Neighbors in Health. By bringing together community resources and local health leaders, we are helping address issues that impact health but that have typically been beyond the reach of the healthcare system.

Here are six ways Horizon is taking a teamwork approach to drive partnerships across health care to get our members what they need to achieve their best health.

• Empowering community health workers. The Horizon Neighbors in Health program helps thousands of New Jerseyans who need more than regular doctor’s visits to be their healthiest. At the heart of this effort are community health workers who know their neighbors, who understand their neighborhoods, and who have the tools to connect our members to a wide array of services and supports. Personalized help with healthy foods, transportation, job opportunities, education, and even diapers or formula can assist our members in overcoming barriers to better health.
• Confronting racial health disparities, Since 2019, Horizon has been leading a first-of-its-kind partnership to create a new model of care to confront and eliminate racial disparities in maternal-child health. This effort also involves the NJ Department of Human Services and RWJBarnabas Health. Together, they’ve been digging into the root causes behind disparities in postpartum depression diagnosis rates and mapping out the best ways to intervene.
• Taking it to the streets. When it became evident early on in the COVID-19 pandemic that hot spots of COVID testing disparities were surfacing across New Jersey, the NJ Health Department set up pop-up testing sites to meet the need. As a health care partner, Horizon dispatched health educators, nurses and community health workers to the sites to offer additional educational materials, help people with insurance questions and help families connect to local community-based services.
• Creating pop-up pantries. In addition to partnering with the NJ Department of Health on COVID-19 testing, Horizon supported NJ Motor Vehicle events to help underserved residents acquire driver licenses and non-driving ID cards – which can be of crucial importance for accessing health services. The event also allowed Horizon to distribute diaper bags stuffed with baby supplies to help parents and infants.
• Supporting church-based vaccination sites. To help close racial disparities in accessing COVID-19 vaccinations, Horizon teamed up with Rite-Aid Pharmacy and faith-based organizations in Orange, Plainfield, Willingboro and other communities to host vaccinations for vulnerable populations in 2021.