West Orange Expansion Nearing Completion

Despite a pandemic, supply-chain disruptions, and many other unanticipated delays, Zufall’s nearly completed West Orange site is expected to open soon. “It has been a long and challenging journey,” noted Foundation Director Shade Cronan, “but we’re making great progress with the exterior largely completed, and the focus now shifting to interior work.” The three-story, state-of-the-art building replaces the modest Northfield Avenue office, which was opened in 2014, as well as nearby leased...

No Wrong Path to Public Health: Marina Pieretti’s Zufall AmeriCorps Story

When Marina Pieretti, MPH, completed her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Hispanic cultures with a minor in film at Barnard College, Columbia University in 2013, she had never considered working in public health. In fact, at that time, Pieretti was eager to begin a career in film. An aspiring dirctor, Pieretti’s first postgraduate job was as a production assistant with the TriBeCa Film Festival. She spent about a year in this...

Zufall Health Welcomes Jade Duncan, D.D.S., M.Ed., as New Dental Director

Jade P. Duncan, D.D.S., M.Ed., has been named Zufall Health’s new director of dental services. Duncan, who began her new role Monday, February 13, will lead a department that offers integrated oral health care to the nearly 45,000 patients served by our health center. A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Duncan is an experienced community health center dental leader with a passion for educating and motivating teams. Her background blends clinical...

Zufall Health’s New Medication Delivery Service Improves Access to Pharmacy Care

Zufall Health’s new, free medication delivery service provides patients with safe and convenient access to prescription drugs at affordable prices. Begun in November 2022, nearly 400 Zufall patients have had medications delivered to their homes or workplaces by way of the health center’s dedicated delivery vehicle and driver. Accessing in-person medication pickup can be difficult for Zufall patients for a variety of reasons, including transportation, work obligations, or health issues...

Building Healthy Communities

By Eva Turbiner, President and CEO Emeritus, Zufall Health As we enter early 2023, almost three years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the focus on the importance of access to health care and robust public health is fading. Happily, Somerset County consistently ranks as one of the healthiest counties in New Jersey according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute....

Meet Your Provider: Pablo Fragoso, RPh

Growing up as a Cuban immigrant in New Jersey, accessing health care wasn’t easy for Zufall Health clinical pharmacist Pablo Fragoso, RPh, and his family. His father worked for small businesses that did not offer health care benefits, leaving the family uninsured. A great deal of his father’s income was spent on medical emergencies, including his mother’s time in the hospital. Joining Zufall in 2021 gave Fragoso the opportunity to...

Frances Palm Named Zufall Health’s New President and Chief Executive Officer

Zufall Health announced today the appointment of Frances L. Palm, MPA, as president and chief executive officer (CEO). Palm, who currently serves as Zufall’s chief operating officer, will succeed outgoing president and CEO Eva Turbiner, effective February 1, 2023. The change marks the first time since 2006 that the health center will operate under a new president and CEO. Palm’s appointment follows a rigorous national search and selection process conducted by...

Ask Dr. Bob: Reflect on the Meaning in Your Life for a Happier 2023

Ending the year and beginning a new one is a time to look back on the experiences we’ve had and give some thought to what we’d like our lives to be like in the future. Most people want the year ahead, and their lives in general, to have some meaning or importance. Although you are probably not going to change the world in 2023, now is a good opportunity to...

2023 Construction Activity to Improve Patient Experience

Zufall Health’s ability to deliver high-quality health care to our 42,000 patients will be enhanced during the coming year through the completion of a number of new construction, renovation, and expansion projects. “The mid-year opening of our new West Orange site and improvements at our existing facilities will better serve our current patients and accommodate future growth,” explained Eva Turbiner, Zufall’s president and chief executive officer. Replacing our modest West Orange office...

At Zufall Health, Substance Use Recovery is Part of Primary Care

Providing support for substance use disorders (SUDs), which involve the recurrent use of alcohol and/or drugs despite harmful consequences, is one of the many ways that Zufall Health helps patients achieve better health. Though SUDs can be managed, most people do not get help. Only 1.4 percent of the 41 million people in the U.S  with a SUD in 2020 received treatment. Misconceptions about people with SUDs – that they are...