Past Events
Neighborhood Assessment of Community Characteristics (NACC) for the Development of Trenton’s Capital City Farm
The Assessment examines the surrounding area of the Capital City Farm in one of Trenton’s most blighted neighborhoods and provided the framework for D&R Greenway Land Trust and the City to establish this Farm to best serve the residents in the community.
Garden State Agrihood Project (GSAP)
Using the Capital City Farm as an anchor, the Institute staff collectively established and operated this project with representatives from the New Jersey Farm Bureau and the Office of Urban Agriculture Programs of Rutgers University to expose high school students in Mercer County, New Jersey to healthy food access and the public sector. Participants in this program experienced a paid summer internship and were exposed to food science, urban agriculture, and various stakeholders in the public realm including Thomas Edison State University representatives where they learned about the college’s offerings such as the 3+1 program. Other components of GSAP include working with community partners and City of Trenton representatives to create a community development model of cooperative ownership by community members using the Capital City Farm as an anchor asset.
Lead in Drinking Water: A Permanent Solution for New Jersey
The Institute staff collectively contributed to this report which provides 10 recommendations to NJ lawmakers on how to best implement policies that can eliminate lead in drinking water. This report was released at Thomas Edison State University and included remarks from Governor Murphy and President Hancock.
Tiered Provider Networks in Health Insurance: How Omnia Effects Urban Community Hospitals – White Paper
This paper provided in-depth research to inform healthcare providers on how Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield’s tier provider network and Omnia health insurance plan may impact access to hospitals and healthcare in urban municipalities.
Options Final Report: Environmental Scan of Childhood Obesity Collaborations, Programs, and Services
This report was commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and researched and produced by the Watson Institute to assess the needs of healthy food access to the state’s most vulnerable children. It also analyzed access to exercise and to green spaces for youth in urban areas. The report resulted in establishing the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids, an organization that works on the ground in communities across the state to lower childhood obesity rates by improving access to fresh produce, healthy food options and access to spaces to improve physical activity in underserved neighborhoods. Barbara George Johnson, the Vice President of the Watson Institute served on the RWJF Leadership team which led to the creation of the current RWJF Culture of Health.
The Healthcare Information Networks and Technologies (HINT) Study for the New Jersey State Legislature
The aforementioned study was conducted by the Watson Institute staff for the New Jersey State Legislature to determine ways to reduce healthcare costs in New Jersey and guided the state in crafting legislation and policy to guide the state’s movement to electronic medical records exchange under HIPAA.
Trenton 250 Plan
The Institute staff worked with the City of Trenton to contribute to this planning document which is designed to improve the municipality in the areas of health, environmental justice, physical infrastructure, and economic development through the year 2042 – the city’s 250th anniversary.
Community Forum on New Jersey’s Opiate Epidemic: The Problem and the Plan
The Center for Health Policy Development partnered with New Jersey Citizen Action and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence-NJ to plan and host this event. Senator Joseph Vitale, a leading state legislator in healthcare, served as the keynote speaker for the event and together with multi-sectoral stakeholders examined ways to provide resources and public policy measures to communities stricken with the opioid crisis.
Urban Agriculture as an Economic Tool Conference
The conference, which featured the NJ Secretary of Agriculture, convened over 200 attendees from local and state government and various public and private organizations to learn and collaborate in efforts to increase healthy food access in both urban and rural communities, as well as create economic development opportunities. The staff of the Center for Health Policy Development partnered with the New Jersey Urban Mayors Association to plan and host this event and attract respective stakeholders to present at and attend the conference.