Health Equity Together

News, perspective and progress on our RWJBarnabas Health journey to achieving health equity for our patients, colleagues and the communities we serve.

Summer 2023

people holding hands in a circle

Our Journey Towards Health Equity

Health equity is the attainment of the highest level of health for all people, where everyone has a fair and just opportunity to achieve their optimal health regardless of race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, preferred language or other factors that affect access to care and health outcomes. Read more


pregnant woman speaking with a nurse

RWJBarnabas Health Addresses Maternal Health Equity

RWJBarnabas Health is committed to the health and well-being of all women throughout pregnancy, delivery and the postpartum period. Across the U.S. and in the state of New Jersey, maternal morbidity and mortality continue to rise, but for Black and Hispanic women, the statistics are alarming. Read more


doctor, with a clipboard in her hand, speaking with patient

Screening for Social Determinants of Health

The conditions in which we are born, live, learn, work, play, worship and age—known as social determinants of health or SDOH—profoundly impact the health of every person and can enhance or limit our ability to live a healthy life. Inequities in social determinants of health contribute to chronic disease disparities in the Unites States among people from marginalized racial, ethnic and social groups, limiting their opportunities to achieve their highest level of health. Read more


doctor speaking with a patient, the doctor's hand is on the patient's shoulder

Advancing Equitable Cancer Care in New Jersey

In the third quarter of 2022, RWJBarnabas Health, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute, the state’s leading cancer center and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, became a grantee supported through the Alliance for Equity in Cancer Care (the Alliance), an initiative funded by the Merck Foundation (the Foundation) and designed to make cancer care more equitable in the United States by helping patients living in underserved communities to receive timely access to high-quality, culturally responsive care. Read more


Paul Alexander MD, MPH

Leader Q&A with Dr. Paul Alexander

Paul Alexander MD, MPH Executive Vice President and Chief Health Equity and Transformation Officer, RWJBarnabas Health Dr. Alexander has been recognized in Becker’s Hospital Review as one of 75 Black Health Care Leaders to Know and highlighted in ROI-NJ Influencers: People of Color 2022. Read more

View Health Equity Together Summer 2023 (PDF)