“Some of our members struggle to achieve their best health because they face non-medical challenges that have typically been beyond the reach of the health care system. “We are happy to be working with Horizon on this great initiative and appreciate their commitment to deliver additional resources to assist Camden residents in removing barriers that are negatively impacting their health.”

“Cooper has been in the forefront of identifying and mitigating social determinants of health for a number of years in the City of Camden,” said Kevin O’Dowd, JD, co-CEO of Cooper. The Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, of which Cooper is a part, also participates in the Horizon BCBSNJ initiative. The program also relies on a Personal Health Assistant (PHA), affiliated with Horizon, who can coordinate and respond to member questions on medical plan benefits as well as researching providers. Both the PHA and CHW have access to a real-time systemic platform to manage member engagement and track individual interactions with community resources and services.Ĭooper is the first health system in southern New Jersey to participate in the initiative. Launched in 2020 by the state’s largest health insurer, the program is investing $25 million to collaborate with some of New Jersey’s most respected health organizations over a three-year period through a model that employs local Community Health Workers (CHW) to connect members with a wide-array of services that make good health more possible. Horizon Neighbors in Health, developed by Horizon BCBSNJ, is the largest, most comprehensive program ever created in New Jersey to address social determinants of health.

Mazzarelli, MD, JC, MBE, co-CEO of Cooper. “As the leading academic health system in southern New Jersey, we recognize that many complex factors are associated with the overall health of the community, and this new initiative with Horizon, the state’s largest insurer, will help us reach more Camden residents to mitigate some of those barriers to good health,” said Anthony J. Cooper University Health Care has partnered with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) to deploy Community Health Workers in Camden as part of an innovative program – Horizon Neighbors in Health – that is improving health, reducing inpatient hospital stays and emergency department visits, and increasing behavioral and specialty care visits by addressing social barriers to health.

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