As families across New Jersey prepare for a new school year, the state and one of its largest health systems are teaming up to make sure kids walk into the classroom vaccinated and ready.
RWJBarnabas Health and the New Jersey Department of Health announced a new back-to-school initiative Wednesday called “Stay Well. Learn Well,” offering free vaccinations and school physicals to help New Jersey children start the school year healthy.
The effort brings together the state’s largest academic health system with state and county health departments, Federally Qualified Health Centers, local school districts and community organizations.
The initiative includes two regional back-to-school vaccination clinics, a series of pediatric mobile health clinics running throughout Essex and Union counties, and community outreach events connecting families with healthcare resources.
Balpreet Grewal-Virk, senior vice president of community health at RWJBarnabas Health, said the goal is meeting families where they already are.
“Preparing children for a successful school year begins with ensuring they have access to the healthcare they need,” Grewal-Virk said. “By partnering with the State and our local public health and community partners, we’re bringing vaccinations, school physicals and trusted healthcare resources directly into neighborhoods, helping families connect to the care and support they need long after the first day of school.”
New Jersey Health Commissioner Raynard E. Washington said keeping kids current on vaccinations protects more than just the individual child.
“As children across New Jersey prepare to return to school, ensuring they are up to date on recommended vaccinations is one of the most important steps we can take to protect their health and the health of our communities,” Washington said. “This partnership reflects our shared commitment to removing barriers to care and making it easier for families to access vaccinations, school physicals and preventive healthcare services so every child enters the classroom healthy and ready to stay well and learn well.”
The mobile health clinics are central to the initiative’s reach. Margie Heller, senior vice president of community and global health at RWJBarnabas Health, said the mobile units let the health system bring care directly to families rather than waiting for them to find it.
“Utilizing our pediatric mobile health clinic, we have greater ability to meet children and families where they are, making it easier for them to get the care they need to start the school year strong,” Heller said.
The initiative also has local government backing in both counties it serves. Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. and Union County Board of County Commissioners Chair Joseph Bodek both praised the partnership for putting preventive care within closer reach of families ahead of the new school year.
The initiative arrives at an unusual moment for childhood vaccination in New Jersey. It comes just days after President Trump signed an executive order calling for major changes to the federal childhood vaccine schedule, including splitting the combined MMR shot into three separate vaccines — a move doctors and public health experts have already pushed back on, including locally.
