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RWJBarnabas launches NJ\u2019s first mobile care program in Elizabeth<\/a> RWJBarnabas Health<\/a> launched New Jersey\u2019s first Street Medicine<\/a> Program in Elizabeth. Unveiled May 19, the mobile health<\/a> initiative will bring clinical care directly to people experiencing homelessness<\/a>. It will also serve as a model for expansion across the state.\n<\/p>\n Officials noted the concept has gained broader cultural visibility in recent years. For example, the HBO Max series \u201cThe Pitt\u201d<\/a> depicts a fictional hospital-based street medicine team delivering care to unhoused individuals in public spaces.\n<\/p>\n Supported through state funding, the effort is part of RWJBarnabas\u2019 broader Our Healthy Communities<\/a> initiative. That program focuses on addressing social drivers of health including housing, food access and economic stability.<\/p>\n RWJBarnabas has reinvested more than $151 million in community health initiatives beyond traditional medical care.<\/a> That also includes initiatives aimed at supporting unhoused populations as well as expanding access to care outside hospital settings.\n<\/p>\n On the move<\/p>\n The Street Medicine Program is based at Trinitas Regional Medical Center.<\/a> The initiative sends a mobile medical team in a clearly marked van to shelters, transitional housing sites and other locations where unhoused individuals live and gather.\n<\/p>\n The goal is to reduce barriers to care by meeting patients where they are. It also connects them to physical, mental and behavioral health services, along with longer-term supports such as transportation and clinic access.<\/p>\n Beyond coordinated care planning designed to keep patients engaged in treatment, the initiative delivers a broad range of services on the ground, such as:\n<\/p>\n Acute and preventive care New Jersey\u2019s unhoused population has reached nearly 14,000 people, according to the latest statewide count. The figure underscores the need for expanded access to care outside traditional clinical settings.\n<\/p>\n Caring for all<\/p>\n RWJBH President and CEO Mark Manigan<\/a>\u00a0said the program reflects a core commitment to expanding access for vulnerable populations.\n<\/p>\n \u201cOur Street Medicine Program is born from a culture that recognizes everyone, regardless of circumstance, is deserving of compassion and access to the world-class healthcare we provide,\u201d said Manigan. \u201cBeing the first in New Jersey to put such a focus on the immediate healthcare needs of some of our most vulnerable residents is something in which RWJBarnabas Health<\/a> takes tremendous pride.\u201d At Trinitas Regional Medical Center, leaders said the program is designed to intervene earlier and reduce avoidable emergency care.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe are proud to launch the Street Medicine Program here at Trinitas Regional Medical Center and support the Elizabeth community,\u201d said Nancy DiLiegro, president and CEO of Trinitas Regional Medical Center. \u201cEvery single day we see first-hand the impacts of homelessness on one\u2019s physical, mental, and emotional health. This initiative strategically delivers care to those who need it most, helping intervene and prevent a health crisis that would require emergency care.\u201d\n<\/p>\n This initiative strategically delivers care to those who need it most, helping intervene and prevent a health crisis that would require emergency care. \u2018Life-changing\u2019 for Elizabeth<\/p>\n Balpreet Grewal-Virk is senior vice president of community health at RWJBarnabas. She said the initiative is intended to improve outcomes for patients who often face barriers to traditional care.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe Street Medicine Program advances RWJBarnabas Health\u2019s mission of providing quality, compassionate and accessible care to the communities we serve. Sending our team out into Elizabeth will be transformative, driving down mortality rates and improving health outcomes for patients in need,\u201d said Grewal-Virk. \u201cThis impactful work would not be possible without the support of the State of New Jersey, and we are deeply grateful for that partnership.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage called the initiative a major step forward for the city\u2019s most vulnerable residents, saying, \u201cThis initiative will be life-changing\u2026\u201d\n<\/p>\n Following the Elizabeth rollout, the system said it plans a broader effort to expand the program across New Jersey.\n<\/p>\n In the driver\u2019s seat Dr. Edward Egan, medical director of RWJBarnabas Health\u2019s Street Medicine Program, leads the program. He will oversee care delivery from the mobile unit.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m excited that we are officially launching the Street Medicine Program and I look forward to helping lead this team,\u201d said Egan. \u201cWe know the unhoused population face disproportionate barriers to receiving the care they need.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThis program will make a meaningful difference in our patients\u2019 lives and help prevent hospitalizations.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article The basics: RWJBarnabas launches NJ\u2019s first mobile care program in Elizabeth Initiative serves unhoused…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":237251,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[587,43473,2000,92829,9,24,63,92830,134,136,135,92831,92832],"class_list":["post-237250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-community-health","tag-elizabeth","tag-homelessness","tag-mobile-health","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-rwjbarnabas-health","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news","tag-street-medicine","tag-trinitas-regional-medical-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237250"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237250\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/237251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nInitiative serves unhoused residents directly
\nProgram based at Trinitas Regional Medical Center<\/a>
\nRWJBarnabas plans expansion across New Jersey<\/p>\n
\nChronic disease management
\nMental health and street psychiatry
\nSubstance use support and harm reduction<\/p>\n
\n![\"RWJBarnabas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/RWJBarnabas-Street-Medicine-7.jpg\"\/)
![\"RWJBarnabas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/RWJBarnabas-Street-Medicine-7.jpg\")
At the RWJBarnabas Health Street Medicine Program ribbon cutting, from left: Dr. Syeda Chillious, podiatry resident, Trinitas Regional Medical Center; Dr. Flavio Salinas, internal medicine resident, TRMC; Laura Ciraco, vice president, Development, TRMC; Balpreet Grewal-Virk, senior vice president, Community Health<\/a>, RWJBarnabas Health; Dr. John D\u2019Angelo, chief quality and medical officer, TRMC; Dr. Edward Egan, medical director, RWJBarnabas Health Street Medicine Program; Nancy DiLiegro, president and CEO, TRMC; Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage; Union County commissioners Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded and Lourdes Leon; Dr. Nicole Fracassini, psychiatry resident, TRMC; and Dr. Emma Hallowell, psychiatry resident, TRMC. \u2013 PROVIDED BY RWJBARNABAS HEALTH\n<\/p>\n
\u2013 Nancy DiLiegro, president and CEO, Trinitas Regional Medical Center<\/p>\n
\n![\"RWJBarnabas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/RWJBarnabas-Street-Medicine-9.jpg\"\/)
![\"RWJBarnabas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/RWJBarnabas-Street-Medicine-9.jpg\")
Street Medicine Medical Director Dr. Edward Egan drives the new Street Medicine Team Mobile Unit. \u2013 PROVIDED BY RWJBARNABAS HEALTH<\/p>\n