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<\/p>\n\t\tRollout at Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth with Goal to Expand across State<\/p>\n
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RWJBarnabas Health leadership and Trinitas Regional Medical Center staff join local officials to cut the ribbon for the Street Medicine Program. from left: Syeda Chillious, DPM, Podiatry Resident, Trinitas Regional Medical Center (TRMC); Flavio Salinas, MD, Internal Medicine Resident, TRMC; Laura Ciraco, Vice President, Development, TRMC; Balpreet Grewal-Virk, PhD, Senior Vice President, Community Health, RWJBarnabas Health; John D\u2019Angelo, DO, Chief Quality and Medical Officer, TRMC; Edward Egan, MD, Medical Director, RWJBarnabas Health Street Medicine Program; Nancy DiLiegro, PhD, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, TRMC; Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage; Union County Commissioner Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded; Union County Commissioner Lourdes M. Leon; Nicole Fracassini, DO, Psychiatry Resident, TRMC; and Emma Hallowell, MD, Psychiatry Resident, TRMC.<\/p>\n
Elizabeth, N.J. \u2013 May 19, 2026 \u2013 RWJBarnabas Health today launched New Jersey\u2019s first Street Medicine Program at Trinitas Regional Medical Center (TRMC) to bring essential care and services directly to unhoused individuals across the City of Elizabeth with the goal of expanding to other areas in the state to improve access to care among a particularly vulnerable population.<\/p>\n
Through this initiative, RWJBarnabas Health will deploy a highly trained medical team into the community to meet and care for patients where they are, while also connecting them to physical, mental and behavioral health services, transportation and local clinics for long-term health solutions. The team will travel around the city in a clearly marked van, visiting homeless shelters, transitional housing centers, and other spaces where people experiencing homelessness typically congregate.<\/p>\n
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RWJBarnabas Health leadership, Trinitas Regional Medical Center staff, and local officials cut the ribbon for the Street Medicine Program. from left: Syeda Chillious, DPM, Podiatry Resident, Trinitas Regional Medical Center (TRMC); Flavio Salinas, MD, Internal Medicine Resident, TRMC; Laura Ciraco, Vice President, Development, TRMC; Balpreet Grewal-Virk, PhD, Senior Vice President, Community Health, RWJBarnabas Health; John D\u2019Angelo, DO, Chief Quality and Medical Officer, TRMC; Edward Egan, MD, Medical Director, RWJBarnabas Health Street Medicine Program; Nancy DiLiegro, PhD, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, TRMC; Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage; Union County Commissioner Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded; Union County Commissioner Lourdes M. Leon; Nicole Fracassini, DO, Psychiatry Resident, TRMC; and Emma Hallowell, MD, Psychiatry Resident, TRMC.<\/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 Mark E. Manigan, President and Chief Executive Officer, RWJBarnabas Health. \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 takes tremendous pride.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unavailable in New Jersey until now, the Street Medicine Program will deliver a full spectrum of care with a broad scope of services to meet the urgent needs of the community, including:<\/p>\n
Urgent & Acute CareChronic Disease Management & Preventive CareMental Health & Street PsychiatrySubstance Use Support & Harm ReductionService Delivery MethodsCare Coordination Strategies<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are proud to launch the Street Medicine Program here at Trinitas Regional Medical Center and support the Elizabeth community,\u201d said TRMC President and CEO Nancy DiLiegro, PhD, FACHE. \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<\/p>\n
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The new Street Medicine Team Mobile Unit.<\/p>\n
Supported through an appropriation by the State of New Jersey, the Street Medicine Programis part of RWJBarnabas Health\u2019s Our Healthy Communities<\/a> initiative aimed at improving health access and outcomes by addressing disparities and barriers to care.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Street Medicine Program advances RWJBarnabas Health\u2019s mission of providing quality, compassionate and accessible care to the communities we serve,\u201dsaid Balpreet Grewal-Virk, PhD, RWJBarnabas Health Senior Vice President, Community Health. \u201cSending our team out into Elizabeth will be transformative, driving down mortality rates and improving health outcomes for patients in need. This impactful work would not be possible without the support of the State of New Jersey, and we are deeply grateful for that partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n Through Our Healthy Communities, RWJBarnabas Health is partnering with local leaders, health care providers, clergy, civic and community-based organizations to strengthen critical social and health care infrastructure and expand patient access to care, healthy foods, nutrition education, transportation, economic mobility, and stable housing. Through the community health resources from the State of New Jersey, RWJBarnabas Health has reinvested more than $151 million in community health initiatives beyond traditional medical care to build and sustain long-term health for the residents and communities it serves.<\/p>\n Edward Egan, MD, Street Medicine Medical Director, RWJBarnabas Health drives the new Street Medicine Team Mobile Unit.<\/p>\n \u201cThis initiative will be life-changing for our city,\u201d said Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage. \u201cI am grateful to RWJBarnabas Health and the team at Trinitas Regional Medical Center for launching this program that will provide care to the homeless in our city and strengthen community health across the region.\u201d<\/p>\n Led by TRMC Emergency Department (ED) attending physician Dr. Edward Egan, the Street Medicine Program will serve as a reliable entry point for care for people experiencing homelessness and facing additional barriers including lack of health insurance and transportation. The program will provide specialized medical care to unhoused individuals and enable them to receive needed treatments and intervention for physical and psychiatric concerns.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m excited that we are officially launching the Street Medicine Program and I look forward to helping lead this team,\u201dsaid Edward Egan, MD, Medical Director, Street Medicine. \u201cWe know the unhoused population face disproportionate barriers to receiving the care they need. This program will make a meaningful difference in our patients\u2019 lives and help prevent hospitalizations, ensuring we can continue to deliver world-class care to our patients at TRMC and support the broader Elizabeth community.\u201d<\/p>\n RWJBarnabas Health\u2019s Street Medicine Program is one of several created by the health system to specifically serve New Jersey\u2019s homeless population, which has reached a 10-year high according to the latest annual NJ Counts report<\/a>, with nearly 14,000 unhoused statewide.<\/p>\n In April, RWJBarnabas Health invested $1 million to provide critical services<\/a> to people experiencing homelessness in Ocean County after launching the \u201cGateway to Hope<\/a>\u201d program last year with NJ TRANSIT and the City of Newark to support unhoused residents at Newark Penn Station.<\/p>\n About RWJBarnabas Health<\/p>\n RWJBarnabas Health is New Jersey\u2019s largest and most comprehensive academic health system, caring for more than five million people annually. Nationally renowned for quality and safety, the system includes 14 hospitals<\/a> and 9,000 affiliated physicians integrated to provide care at more than 700 patient care locations.<\/p>\n RWJBarnabas Health partners with its communities to build and sustain a healthier New Jersey. It provides patient-centered care in a compassionate manner and is the state\u2019s largest safety-net provider and leader in addressing the social determinants of health. RWJBarnabas Health provides food to the hungry, housing for the homeless and economic opportunities to those most vulnerable.<\/p>\n RWJBarnabas Health\u2019s commitment to enhancing access to care includes a transformative partnership with Rutgers University, including the Rutgers Cancer Institute \u2014 the state’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.<\/p>\n RWJBarnabas Health is among New Jersey\u2019s largest private employers, with more than 45,000 employees, contributing more than $7 billion to the state economy every year. For more information, visit www.RWJBH.org.<\/a><\/p>\n About Trinitas Regional Medical Center <\/p>\n Trinitas Regional Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, was established in 2000 following the consolidation of Elizabeth General Medical Center and St. Elizabeth Hospital. Previously in 1990, Elizabeth General acquired the Alexian Brothers Hospital, also in Elizabeth. The spirit of the three Elizabeth hospitals lives on in Trinitas, a major center for comprehensive health services for those who live and work in Central New Jersey. Trinitas is a Catholic teaching medical center with Catholic oversight provided by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth. With 12 Centers of Excellence across the continuum of care, Trinitas has distinguished itself in cardiology, cancer care, behavioral health, renal care, nursing education, diabetes management, wound healing, breast health, senior\u2019s healthcare, women’s healthcare, and sleep medicine.<\/p>\n![\"Edward](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Street-Medicine-9.jpg\"\/)
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