Go to Rutgers University–Camden site
Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs
Building Knowledge for Policy and Practice in Southern New Jersey
WRI is partnering on a statewide, collective ethnography designed to gather and transform the personal accounts of New Jersey residents, especially those who have faced increased marginalization or greater risk as a result of the pandemic, into the building blocks of a more resilient, compassionate and Healthy New Jersey.
Given the uncertainty that families face because of the public health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, direct service work has become indispensable. WRI developed a qualitative evaluation project early in the pandemic to examine the range of responses from a group of direct service organizations as they acknowledged, responded to, and worked to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on the families and communities they serve.
WRI joins the Community Planning and Advocacy Council (CPAC) in Camden County as its research partner, focused on evaluating the efficacy of current services and assessing needs. The Human Services Needs Assessment in Camden County will employ quantitative and qualitative analysis using a mix of county data mining, stakeholder interviews, and virtual focus groups to determine the county’s priority needs and service areas.
The Cumberland County Overdose Fatality Review Team (CCOFRT) aims to reduce opioid misuse and overdose fatalities in Cumberland County through a comprehensive assessment to better understand the factors which contribute to overdose and substance use disorders, and using this information, improve its substance use and mental health case management and services to reduce overdose fatalities. WRI will serve as the County’s research partner.
In partnership with the Food Bank of South Jersey (FBSJ), WRI is evaluating the efficacy and impact of various health and wellness education programs that the organization coordinates throughout the region. The project is slated for completion in March 2021.
Why is mortality so high in some counties compared to other counties? Is it because of long term care facilities? Population age? Pre-existing conditions? Proximity to big cities? Or is it related to community-level factors, like poverty, race and ethnicity, or community cohesion? A new study led by WRI Faculty Director Sarah Allred and Emily Greenfield, an associate professor of social work at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, will seek to understand these patterns, not just at the county level, but also at the municipality level.