Monday, June 16, 2025
6/16/2025
Fiscal Year 2025 Expanded Hours. - Address: 321 N Warren St, Trenton, NJ 08618-4741 Project Director Name: Dr. Rachael Evans Contact Phone Number: 609-278-5905 Email Address: Rachael.evans@henryjaustin.org Website Address: www.henryjaustin.org Health Center Program grant number: H80CS00531 All grant program funds requested in the application: $315,248.65 per year for two years, for a total of $630,497.30. Henry J. Austin Health Center’s (HJAHC) service area covers Mercer County, New Jersey, but primarily serves residents of Trenton. Over 50% of Trenton’s census tracts are designated as Medically Underserved Areas. HJAHC has been designated as a Health Professional Shortage Area for Primary Care and Mental Health since 2002. No other federally qualified health centers or look-alikes operate in Mercer County. Few to no private providers are accepting new patients with public insurance, making access to HJAHC crucial to the target population. This is especially important as 1 in 3 residents are insured through Medicaid, and 1 in 5 working-age adults are uninsured (Trenton CHNA, 2022). Over the last five years, Mercer County consistently has had higher emergency department utilization rates than the rest of New Jersey (St Francis Medical Center CHNA, 2022). Additionally, Trenton residents are more likely to experience health disparities related to the social detriments of health that can delay access to health care, including lack of transportation, economic stability, lack of insurance, lack of affordable childcare, and the inability to take time off for appointments (HJAHC CHNA, 2021). As HJAHC is Trenton’s only FQHC, operating hours must meet the population's needs. HJAHC’s health centers are currently open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Warren St. Health Center is open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. HJAHC’s Pharmacy, also located at Warren St., is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Other private providers in Trenton have similar or fewer operating hours, which forces many residents to seek after-hours care at local emergency rooms, leading to increased utilization rates. To address these needs, HJAHC will expand operating hours at two Health Center locations - 321 N. Warren St. and 112 Ewing St. The Warren St. location will begin operating with expanded hours by May 2025 and Ewing St. by May 2026. The new operating hours for Warren St. will be Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. The new operating hours for Ewing St. will be Monday – Thursday from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. When considering these expanded hours, HJAHC relied upon its 2023 and 2024 Biannual Patient Needs Surveys and community-wide health needs assessments. Residents will have access to in-person primary care, including family medicine/Title X services, childhood immunizations, behavioral health/ Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), and pharmacy services at Warren. Ewing St. services will include medical and pharmacy services (the new Ewing Pharmacy will open in a few months). Expanding hours at multiple locations will help alleviate residents' dependence on emergency rooms during the expanded hours. Part of HJAHC’s mission is to offer person-centered care, which is why additional services are provided to address the social detriments of health, including transportation and translation assistance. These services will be provided during expanded hours to ensure the continuity of services HJAHC patients rely upon. To ensure the safety of patients and staff, security personnel will be onsite at all locations with expanded hours. Funding will be utilized to hire pharmacy, medical, behavioral health, and security staff for the expanded hours. A comprehensive marketing campaign will also be created to promote the health center’s new expanded hours. Finally, funds will be spent on purchasing medical supplies related to harm reduction and wound care kits to meet the needs of MAT patients.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).