Community Enhancement Program
Meeting People Where They Are. Helping Connect Them to the Care They Need.
But identifying a problem is only the beginning.
AAYHA’s Community Enhancement Program (CEP) brings clinician-led health education, screenings, high-risk health assessments, navigation, referrals, and advocacy directly into underserved communities.
We work with community organizations and healthcare partners to identify health concerns and barriers to care—and help people understand what to do next.
More Than a Health Screening
A blood pressure or blood sugar reading can tell someone that something may be wrong.
What the result means
How serious it may be
Where to go for care
How to find a healthcare provider
How to obtain insurance
How to afford medication
How to get to an appointment
What questions to ask
What to do next
Healthcare complexity—not income or background—is what creates the need for advocacy.
How the Community Enhancement Program Works
We Meet People in Their Communities
We Screen and Assess
- Blood pressure screenings
- Blood sugar screenings
- High-risk health assessments
- Individual health education
- Identification of healthcare and social barriers
We Explain What the Information Means
Health information is only useful when people can understand and act on it.
Our clinicians take time to explain screening results, answer questions, discuss health risks, reinforce the importance of primary and preventive care, and help individuals better understand their health.
We Identify Barriers to Care
Sometimes the problem isn’t knowing that care is needed.
The problem is being able to get it.
Barriers may include:
- Lack of health insurance
- Difficulty finding a healthcare provider
- Transportation
- Medication affordability
- Language or health-literacy challenges
- Access to medical equipment
- Difficulty navigating community resources
- Uncertainty about where to begin
We Help Connect People to Care and Resources
- Primary-care providers
- Specialists
- Health insurance assistance
- Medication resources
- Transportation assistance
- Medical equipment
- Community and social services
When More Help Is Needed, We Advocate
Some people need more than a referral.
When appropriate and resources allow, AAYHA may provide additional advocacy and follow-up to help an individual move from being told where to go to actually connecting with the care or resources they need.
Advocacy in Action
From a Community Screening to Continued Care
At a community health event, AAYHA screened a 60-year-old man experiencing homelessness who had diabetes but no health insurance.
His blood sugar was greater than 500, his blood pressure was low, and he was experiencing blurred vision.
Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, AAYHA directed him to emergency care, where he was found to be severely dehydrated and in renal failure.
But AAYHA’s involvement didn’t end at the hospital.
For more than four months, our advocates continued working with him to help obtain healthcare coverage, access insulin and blood pressure medication, receive cataract surgery, and remain connected to follow-up care.
Education Can Change What Happens Next
At another community event, a woman receiving dialysis owned several blood pressure monitors—but did not know how to use them correctly.
An AAYHA clinician spent time teaching her proper blood pressure measurement, helping her understand concerning readings and medication timing, and preparing her to communicate more effectively with her healthcare provider.
Sometimes the barrier isn’t access to a tool.
Health Literacy Is Part of Healthcare
Healthcare information can be complicated.
People may leave appointments without fully understanding a diagnosis, medication, test result, or what they are supposed to do next.
AAYHA creates opportunities for people to ask questions in a respectful environment and receive information they can understand and use.
Our goal is not simply to give people information.
Community Services Are Generally Provided at No Cost
AAYHA’s Community Enhancement Program is supported through partnerships, grants, charitable contributions, sponsorships, and other nonprofit funding.
As a result, CEP services are generally provided at no cost to community participants.
Services available at individual events may vary depending on the program, partnership, staffing, and available resources.
Stronger Communities Require Strong Partnerships
AAYHA does not do this work alone.
We collaborate with:
- Hospitals and healthcare systems
- Physicians and healthcare providers
- Community health centers and clinics
- Nonprofit organizations
- Faith and community organizations
- Government and social-service agencies
- Foundations
- Businesses and corporate supporters
- Insurance and healthcare-resource organizations
Bring AAYHA to Your Community
Does your organization serve people who could benefit from health education, screenings, healthcare navigation, or advocacy?
AAYHA welcomes opportunities to work with nonprofits, healthcare organizations, community groups, government agencies, faith organizations, businesses, foundations, and other partners serving New Jersey communities.
Programs can be discussed based on the needs of the population, location, available resources, and partnership opportunity.
Communities We Serve
- Middlesex County
- Mercer County
- Union County
- Bergen County
- Essex County
Middlesex County represents our largest service area.
Opportunities in other New Jersey communities may be considered based on community need, partnerships, available resources, and location.
No One Should Fall Through the Cracks.
Sometimes helping someone begins with something as simple as checking a blood pressure.
What matters is what happens next.
AAYHA works to turn screening into understanding, understanding into action, and barriers into connections to care.
Your Support Helps Us Reach the Next Person.
A sponsorship is more than recognition on a website or social-media post.
It helps AAYHA put clinicians, education, health resources, navigation, and advocacy where they can make a difference.
