Long Branch, NJ – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today announced that the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey (VNACJ) Community Health Center will receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support the establishment of a new primary care medical residency program at its community health centers in Monmouth County. The VNACJ Community Health Center will use the $500,000 grant to design a program for primary care doctors to train in Asbury Park, Keyport, Red Bank, and Long Branch.

"Primary care physicians are the keystone of our nation's health care system and are all too often the only providers in high-need communities," said Pallone. "Unfortunately, we are increasingly facing a shortage of these vital frontline providers across the country. This planning grant will help address this shortage by allowing the VNACJ to set up the first primary care residency program at community health centers in New Jersey.”

“As community health centers specialize in providing care to those enduring health inequities in our most vulnerable communities, the expansion of resident training in these settings is critical,” said Christopher Rinn, CEO, VNACJ Community Health Center. “I am grateful to Congressman Pallone and the federal Health Resources and Services Administration for supporting our efforts to address the need for more primary care doctors in the areas of Monmouth County with the greatest shortage.”

VNACJ Community Health Center is particularly well suited for this primary care residency program. It is working in partnership with Monmouth Medical Center Hospital, a member of the RWJBarnabas Health System, in Long Branch. The plan is to have residents gain educational experience in the Long Branch Hospital, particularly in the inpatient and emergency room departments. VNACJ is also pursuing a partnership with Monmouth Family Health Center to have residents trained at their community health center in Long Branch.