WHAT: Graduation ceremony for individuals who have completed the community health worker training program for the Jordan and Harris Community Health Center, Newark, N.J.

Members of Jordan and Harris team
From left, Mary DiGiulio, director of clinical practice, Rutgers School of Nursing; Morit Segui, program support specialist, community programs, School of Nursing; Cindy Sickora, dirctor, Jordan and Harris Community Health Center; Michelle Harrison, community health worker at Jordan and Harris; and Myrlande Metallius, clinical coordinator, Jordan and Harris.

WHEN: 4 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015

WHERE: Millard E. Terrell Homes, 35 Riverview Court, Newark, N.J.

BACKGROUND: Founded in 2011, the Jordan and Harris Community Health Center is an innovative, nurse-managed program designed by and for the community of residents at the Hyatt Court, Pennington Court, and Terrell Homes public housing developments. The Rutgers School of Nursing works with Rutgers’ New Jersey Medical School and School of Health Related Professions to provide health services to those residents. The community health workers are housing development residents trained and hired to assist their neighbors in various ways to ensure that they are following recommended treatments and attending scheduled medical appointments. The Jordan and Harris Center also provides health education and counseling and offers a number of services such as physical exams, various screenings and referrals to specialists. The center has made significant strides, including stabilizing diabetic patients and improving patients’ blood pressure levels.

Media interested in covering should contact Lynn McFarlane at 973-972-8539, mobile 201-306-0893 or mcfarlld@sn.rutgers.edu