Walter Rand Institute Highlights Key Community Health Resources and Needs in Atlantic County
February 18, 2026
The Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs (WRI) at Rutgers–Camden is proud to release the 2025-2027 AtlantiCare Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), a comprehensive report examining health-related assets, needs, and recommendations across Atlantic County. Conducted in partnership with AtlantiCare, the CHNA provides community insights and proposed solutions to guide the next steps in improving community health and well-being in the region.
The report’s findings reveal a complex picture of Atlantic County’s health landscape—highlighting both critical barriers and valuable community assets. Access to care continues to be a critical need. Nearly 44% of surveyed residents cited availability of appointments, long wait times for appointments, and limited access to specialists (pediatric, maternal/infant, mental health) as one of their top individual needs. Far travel distances to see providers and a lack of public transportation continue to be a considerable barrier in the region.
High healthcare costs and gaps in available resource information and services for vulnerable populations, including older adults, immigrants, people with disabilities, and individuals experiencing homelessness were also cited as barriers. Participants emphasized a significant desire for culturally responsive care for these populations. Community-wide challenges around housing affordability, neighborhood safety, and holistic, wraparound healthcare support also emerged as pressing concerns.
The CHNA also highlights existing strengths across Atlantic County. AtlantiCare’s urgent care centers, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and dental clinics were praised for accessibility and quality. The LGBTQ+ primary care clinic in Atlantic City was also highlighted as an asset. Participants cited ample resources for older adults such as diverse fitness programs, educational classes, social activities, transportation, and meal delivery. Strong community organizations like Angels in Motion, Jewish Family Service of Atlantic County, and the Spanish Community Center, among others, provide services like substance use recovery, food distribution, syringe access programs, and yoga and cooking classes for residents in the region—services praised among research participants.
Innovative programs such as the AtlantiCare Mobile Market, Unite Us resource referral platform, new surgical specialties like vascular and cardiothoracic surgery and expanded behavioral health services—including electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatments for depression—demonstrate progress in meeting evolving community member needs. Strong partnerships among community organizations, law enforcement, and healthcare providers are improving outreach and resource coordination.
The CHNA reflects WRI’s extensive community engagement, including focus groups, stakeholder interviews, and a widely distributed community survey, ensuring that recommendations are rooted in lived experiences. The report also incorporates demographic and economic trends.
Devon Ziminski, lead researcher on the project, noted: “This assessment is more than a report—it’s a roadmap for collaboration. By listening to and amplifying community voice, we can create sustainable solutions that improve health outcomes for all Atlantic County residents.”
The CHNA also includes community-driven recommendations that can move the work forward. Recommendations include leading with empathy through trauma-informed and culturally competent care, deploying healthcare navigators to guide patients through complex systems, and creating multi-sector resource hubs that co-locate medical, social, and wellness services. Moreover, expanding proactive, multi-lingual, and relationship-driven outreach to immigrant communities and individuals experiencing homelessness, as well as building workforce pipelines to address care shortages could significantly improve access, equity, and trust in healthcare while fostering long-term community resilience.
“Staying closely connected to our community and truly listening to what residents need is central to how AtlantiCare builds healthier, more vibrant communities,” shared Samantha Kiley, Vice President, Community Health & Social Impact at AtlantiCare. “While many of this year’s insights mirror trends from prior assessments, this process continues to sharpen our focus on what matters most to the people we are privileged to serve.”
The CHNA will inform the development of AtlantiCare’s Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), ensuring that strategies align with community priorities and foster long-term impact in the county.
About the Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs
The Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs (WRI) at Rutgers–Camden has been a long-standing and trusted regional community partner for over 25 years. WRI honors former Senator Rand’s dedication to Southern New Jersey and exists to produce and highlight community-focused research and evaluation leading to sound public policy and practice in the region. With that as a foundation, WRI convenes and engages stakeholders in making the connections across research, policy, and practice in support of Camden City and Southern New Jersey residents. Using social science research methods, WRI specializes in transforming data into actionable information across a variety of areas, including workforce development, education, transportation, and public/population health. WRI reinforces and amplifies Rutgers’ research, teaching, and service goals by connecting the multidisciplinary expertise of faculty to regional problems, developing research and professional skills in students, and linking the resources of higher education to communities in Southern New Jersey.
About AtlantiCare
AtlantiCare is an award-winning integrated healthcare system based in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, whose team of more than 6,500 serves the community in over 110 locations in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, and Ocean counties of southern New Jersey, including Atlantic City. Committed to an innovative approach to providing the best care in the industry, AtlantiCare has a vision of building healthy communities that drives its mission of making a difference in health and healing, one person at a time. For more information about AtlantiCare, visit https://www.atlanticare.org