Clara Maass Medical Center and U.S. Census Host 'Countdown' Event

Belleville, NJ – With less than one week left to complete the U.S. Census, Clara Maass Medical Center, joined with the U.S. Census to host a fun, festive ‘Census Countdown’ event on Friday, September 25, 2020 from 12 PM to 2 PM to encourage its local community to get counted. The last day to complete the Census is October 5, 2020.

The ‘Community Countdown’ featured free ice cream treats, giveaway items – including baby hats and opportunities for families and individuals to meet with a Census enumerator to answer questions about the biennial survey. Enumerators were also available to provide assistance to those who wished to complete the survey. At the event, more than 200 individuals completed the Census.

Officials present at the ‘Community Countdown’ were Jeff Behler, Regional Director of the 2020 Census; the Mayor of Belleville Township Michael Melham; Belleville Township Councilman Vincent Cozzarelli; Newark Municipal Councilman At-Large Luis A. Quintana; and Casim Gomez, representing the Office of U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ).

“The Census is a powerful opportunity for community residents to impact public policy and aid in planning our country’s future—from healthcare to roads to transportation systems, being counted matters, and we want to encourage our entire community to participate” said Mary Ellen Clyne, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Clara Maass Medical Center.

“Since completing the Census takes just ten minutes, this event is our way of offering our neighbors and friends a fun, friendly and convenient opportunity to complete the Census before the survey ends” said Desyra Highsmith-Holcomb, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Clara Maass Medical Center. “We hope that our community will not only complete the Census themselves, but will encourage ten friends, colleagues or family members to complete the survey as well.” Highsmith-Holcomb said.

Since it is estimated that about 1.3 million children under age were missed in the last census, the goal of the 2020 Census is to emphasize the importance of counting babies and children, as an inaccurate count could result in miscalculated funding for healthcare, clinics and emergency response systems. To encourage new mothers to include their newborn babies in the Count, the Medical Center visited new and expecting mothers to provide information about the Census and to encourage them to complete the survey.

The once-every-decade Census counts every individual living in the United States regardless of their immigration status. The data collected is then used to guide decisions for the next ten years including Congressional representation and in distributing federal funding to local communities.

This year, the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey awarded a generous grant to Clara Maass Medical Center to educate, encourage and empower community residents, especially underrepresented groups to participate in the U.S. Census. Led by Clara Maass Medical Center’s (CMMC) Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the grant enabled the Medical Center to improve response rates in nearby communities including Belleville, Montclair, Newark, and Bloomfield.

All attendees at the event were required to wear a mask and to observe all physical/social distancing requirements, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to avoid the spread of COVID-19.

For questions, information or to complete the Census 2020, go to: www.2020Census.org or call (844) 330-2020.

About Clara Maass Medical Center

Founded in 1869 as the Newark German Hospital, Clara Maass Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is celebrating 150 years of service to the community. Conveniently located in Belleville, NJ, Clara Maass Medical Center is a 472-bed hospital that offers a complete continuum of care to residents of northern New Jersey.

Clara Maass Medical Center has completed a state-of-the-art campus expansion of its Emergency Department, Operating Rooms and Post Anesthesia Care Unit with the addition of a four-story, 87,000 square foot medical office building that features a private Intensive Care Unit, main entrance and lobby, retail pharmacy and patient registration area. Designated by the New Jersey Department of Health as a Primary Stroke Center, the Medical Center has earned national recognition in patient safety and quality from Healthgrades and The Leapfrog Group.

The Medical Center leads the state in performing advanced treatment in ophthalmology, and has earned certifications in Disease-Specific Care from The Joint Commission in Acute Coronary Syndrome, Congestive Heart Failure, Hip and Knee Replacement, Cardiac Rehabilitation and Advanced Certification in Palliative Care, and has earned accreditation in Bariatric Surgery by the Aetna Institute of Quality program. In partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey -- the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Clara Maass Medical Center offers a world class team of researchers and specialists to fight most types of cancer, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials. Committed to the health and wellness of its community, the Center of Excellence for Latino Health at Clara Maass Medical Center was established to address the social determinants of health within the local Hispanic community.

The first in the country to be named for a nurse, the hospitals’ namesake, Clara Louise Maass was posthumously inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame Class of 2017. For a physician referral or more information about Clara Maass Medical Center, call 1-888-724-7123 or visit www.rwjbh.org/claramaass.