Ensuring Healthcare for All Children
The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC) serves immigrant children and young adults, coming from around the world, but most often from Mexico, Central, and South America. Many of these children have come to the United States without a parent or legal guardian, and are often highly vulnerable after experiencing trauma in their home countries and in the journey to America.
The mission the New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children is to work with young immigrants and their allies to advance their full, fearless participation in our society. The organization provides legal representation and legal referral services, while also pursuing policy change through advocacy work.
HealthierJC + New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children
The New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children, believes that a Culture of Health means providing the highest standard of healthcare to every child, regardless of immigration status. Immigrant populations often face more barriers to care and resources than others, largely due to income, language, and legal obstacles.
Through education, services, and partnerships, the New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children seeks to make sure that immigration status is not a factor in providing the best healthcare to immigrant children. This aligns with the health equity goals of HealthierJC to fight for vulnerable and historically underserved populations, change discriminatory attitudes and behaviors, foster collaboration between healthcare providers and social service organizations, and create a strong network that supports equal access to healthcare resources for all.
How was the Mini-Grant Used?
The HealthierJC mini-grant contributed to the hiring of a full-time Health Associate to lead community outreach initiatives for the New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children. A key outreach work product in 2023 was the development of public education materials for the Cover All Kids outreach initiative, which expanded Medicaid under NJ FamilyCare to all children, regardless of immigration status. A one-page fact sheet was also created and distributed to help immigrant Jersey City families with eligible children enroll in health insurance.
The fact sheet provided an overview of healthcare insurance eligibility for immigrants, with specific information for Jersey City residents, as well as referrals to community-based organizations to assist non-English speakers with enrollment. It emphasized that enrolling a child in Medicaid would not affect immigration status, a common concern that can prevent immigrant families from accessing the benefits they are entitled to. The fact sheet was produced in English, Spanish and Portuguese, with plans for translation into several other languages.
Mini-grant funding was also used to plan for the launch of the Immigrant Youth Advocate Podcast. The goal of the podcast is to bring an immigrant youth perspective to issues such as the importance of taking care of mental health and addressing immigrant health equity. The Immigrant Youth Advocates podcast expects to partner with other groups to produce roundtables and workshops on a broad range of health topics, including healthcare coverage and enrollment assistance. Listen to podcast episodes on Spotify here.
Making a Difference…
“Through the support of HealthierJC, we have deepened our efforts to bridge healthcare disparities among
underserved immigrant communities in Jersey City and Hudson County.”
— Priscilla Monico Marín, Executive Director, New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children
Marín underscored the importance of HealthierJC funding, which “enabled us to craft comprehensive public education materials, like our healthcare fact sheet, ensuring that every child, regardless of immigration status, can access vital healthcare resources.”
For more information, visit New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children at www.njcic.org/.