Hudson County-based health centers get insurance bonus

HUDSON COUNTY — George Ingram, Director of Network Contracting and Strategy for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (left) presented a check for $94,314 to Joan Quigley, CEO, and Michael Shababb, CFO, of North Hudson Community Action Corporation, this week as a thank you for health center activities that assured patients received only the most appropriate level of care.
Created in 1965 as North Hudson Community Action Program, NHCAC provides health and human services across three counties in New Jersey, including health care, emergency food and shelter, transitional housing, and mental health and addiction services. The program’s headquarters are in West New York but they have centers in other towns.
Quigley said this was something of a donation, and called by Horizon a performance bonus.
Earlier this year, NHCAP earned the highest rating available to health centers from the Joint Commission, the nation’s standard-setting organization that rates health centers, hospitals, and other health facilities. They visited the North Hudson Community Action Corporation health center in West New York in July.
According to NHCAC, Hudson County became the poorest county in New Jersey during the economic downturn and is also home to one of the poorest New Jersey municipalities, Union City. To combat that poverty and strengthen the population, NHCAC took on various initiatives utilizing the millions in stimulus funds it received from the federal government to serve residents all over Hudson County, from North Bergen to Hoboken.
In July 2012, Gov. Christopher Christie increased funding for federally qualified health centers from last year’s $46.4 million to $50 million to be distributed through 20 such centers across the state including NHCAP to provide low-cost services to needy people.
The non-profit agency, which — in addition to providing health care for local needy people — helps Hudson County residents find employment, informed laid-off employees that they would be placed on the top of their job-seeking list. – By Al Sullivan