Foundation of UMDNJ Receives Up to $4 Million For Eric B. Chandler Health Center

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Dec. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Foundation of UMDNJ has received up to a $4 million commitment from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to establish an endowment and support the operations of the Eric B. Chandler Health Center.

The health center, owned and operated by UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in collaboration with the Eric B. Chandler Community Board Inc., will receive a $2 million grant from RWJF to support the operations of the Center, which provides a full-range of healthcare services to those in need, regardless of ability to pay.  A second $2 million challenge grant will establish an endowment that will allow the center to continue to maintain the provision of those services in perpetuity.  In order to receive this grant the Foundation of UMDNJ needs to raise $2 million in matching funds within the next four years.

"A critical priority for us will be to match the $2 million endowment in order to maintain the excellent services available to clients through Chandler," explained Dr. George F. Heinrich, vice chair and CEO of the Foundation of UMDNJ.  "In addition, the $2 million endowment portion of the gift from RWJF will be eligible for our own matching program whereby we add a 20 percent match to the endowment, which comes from board designated funds at New Jersey Health Foundation, our parent company."

Patients served through Chandler Health Center are economically disadvantaged, with 72 percent reporting incomes of less than the federal poverty level and 92 percent with income levels of 200 percent or less of the federal poverty level. In calendar year 2009, 51 percent of clients at Chandler were uninsured, with another 41 percent of clients having Medicaid. The Center has a registered population of 56,000 patients.  Approximately 13,100 of these individuals use the Center at least once a year.

"Like many other organizations providing care for those with a limited ability to pay, Chandler Health Center is experiencing financial challenges," explained Dr. Eric Jahn, senior associate dean of community health at the medical school.  "Receipt of these funds will allow the Health Center to meet all of its missions in a continued and robust fashion. "

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has been a strong supporter of the health center since its inception, providing more than $1.3 million to fund operations and provide medical care.

"Our medical school, like many others in the country, is encountering increased economic challenges," explained Dr. Peter S. Amenta, dean of the medical school.  "This incredibly generous gift, along with the matching funds we plan to raise through the Foundation of UMDNJ, helps to assure that people in New Brunswick and surrounding communities will continue to receive the care they need to both prevent and treat disease."

To learn more about how to support the Eric B. Chandler Health Center contact Denise Gavala, vice president for development, at (908) 731-6595 or [email protected].

The Foundation of UMDNJ

The Foundation of UMDNJ is an independent, not-for-profit organization that connects individuals, corporations and foundations that want to advance healthcare with those at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey who share those same passions. For more information, visit www.foundationofumdnj.org.

SOURCE Foundation of UMDNJ