WRI in Action: Tracking Recent Engagements Across South Jersey
Author: Natalie Passov
The Walter Rand Institute (WRI) is deeply embedded in the communities of Southern New Jersey. Spanning across all eight counties – Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean, and Salem – our mission is rooted in a simple but powerful idea championed by Senator Walter Rand: research and data not only can shape policy and practice but should shape policy and practice. Our research aims to answer questions about social and economic programs, issues, environments, and conditions that directly affect South Jersey communities; and, at WRI, we define “community” broadly – anyone who lives, works, owns a business, goes to school, or spends time in South Jersey.
At any one time, WRI has between 15 and 20 active research projects across the region – here’s a snapshot of where we’ve been, whom we’ve been collaborating with, and what we’ve been up to recently across the region.
Community Health Research in Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties. Following the recent release of the Community Health Needs Assessment for 2025-2027 in Inspira Health’s service region of Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties, the WRI team – in partnership with Inspira Health and local organizations – presented the assessment findings in community spaces within each county: Stand Up for Salem, the Cumberland Cape Atlantic YMCA, and the Gloucester County Boys and Girls Club.
To ensure we had a community-forward approach to the assessment, we conducted 18 individual interviews, 27 focus groups with over 230 participants, and gathered survey responses from 665 people across the tri-county region between May and September 2024. We often hear from communities that they are eager to hear the findings after research is complete, and the community presentations were an important opportunity to meet this need and close this feedback loop as much as possible. At these sessions, our team was able to connect directly with community members at each presentation about the local public health issues that matter most to them.
In another collaboration with Inspira Health, WRI and Dr. Tysha Saffold of the Rutgers-Camden School of Nursing have been conducting research to understand the existing strengths, barriers, and recommendations regarding healthcare providers’ knowledge of colorectal screening eligibility in Cumberland and Salem counties. This project also aims to learn from high-risk patients receiving colorectal cancer screenings, with the aim of improving access to these life-saving preventive screenings. We have just wrapped up data collection and were able to conduct three large focus groups with the help of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation at community centers in Salem and Cumberland counties.
Legislative Partnership and Engagement in Gloucester County. With year four of a five-year WRI evaluation currently underway on the Clayton Model – a universal, trauma-informed, social-emotional learning program that serves all students regardless of classification in the Clayton Public School District and Gloucester County Special Services School District (Gloucester County) – WRI joined Clayton Model partners and Assemblyman David Bailey Jr. (NJ-3) for a legislator showcase in Trenton to highlight the Clayton Model and share findings from our evaluation with key legislators. We joined representatives from the Child Connection Center (based in Clayton) as they presented what the program looks like in its day-to-day operation. Additionally, children and caregivers from the program were able to share their experiences directly with State legislators.
Supporting Food Insecurity Efforts in Camden City. Since its inception, WRI has been supporting its home city of Camden through various research projects across different content areas. Most recently, WRI is partnering with the Camden City Food Security Collective via the Food Bank of South Jersey, and the Rowan University/Rutgers-Camden Board of Governors on projects that address food insecurity. These projects include tracking metrics and evaluating initiatives for the Camden City Food Security Collective and gathering community input as part of an initiative to bring a cooperative grocery store to Camden. Currently our team has been attending community meetings prior to launching a survey and focus groups related to the cooperative grocery store.
Recent Convenings and WRI Presence Beyond South Jersey. In addition to the work being done in our region, WRI has also been attending conferences and convenings across the country to present our research and learn from other like-minded organizations. A few months ago, we were fortunate to present our evaluation of the Camden Coalition’s Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) with the Cooper Center for Healing in Camden City at the 2024 Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) Annual Conference in Minneapolis, MN. We were able to demonstrate the program’s impact, effectiveness, and the broader implications that this model holds beyond Camden City.
Our team also made an appearance at the Consortium of University Public Service Organizations (CUPSO) annual conference in Wichita, KS. This conference gave us an opportunity to connect with other colleagues focused on public service and community-engaged research and learn from them and their work. We are excited to bring what we’ve learned around community-engaged research back to the communities of South Jersey.
We were also able to bring it right back to Camden with a presence at SPARK! – Rutgers-Camden’s Showcase of Projects, Art, Research, and Knowledge. Along with our RU-C colleagues in the Division of Community Engagement (DICE) and the Center for Urban Research and Education (CURE), we hosted the Community Engaged Scholarship Celebration. We co-presented a panel on the importance of community-focused research and provided an opportunity for guests to network, celebrate achievements, and explore informative posters and tables.
What’s to Come. There’s even more on the horizon at the Walter Rand Institute. Our team is currently beginning the AtlantiCare Community Health Needs Assessment and is on the ground in Atlantic County, actively engaging with communities to elevate local voices in shaping public health priorities. We’re also concluding the final year of evaluating the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program, an initiative focused on expanding access to resources and peer recovery support for individuals at risk of, or recovering from, overdose.
With the release of our strategic plan, WRI plans to expand its research portfolio, deepen connections between Rutgers–Camden faculty research and regional challenges, create more avenues for public engagement with our work, and grow our already vibrant student engagement offerings over the next five years. Reach out to WRI anytime to learn more about our work and how to partner with us.