CHS News

National Security Agency Awards STARTALK Project to Center for Human Services

Chinese and Arabic language instructors will have an opportunity to further their professional growth through a new grant awarded to the Center for Human Services (CHS) and McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. Read more.

CHS Initiative Supports Building Capacity in Critical Languages

Whether for humanitarian, diplomatic, business, or security reasons, or to build bridges between cultures, the ability of U.S. professionals to communicate in a range of languages is essential to promoting peace, stability, and prosperity. CHS' Critical Languages Initiative operates on the principle that to constructively engage people and governments throughout the world, professionals in the U.S. must be able to communicate effectively in languages that have often been overlooked in the public school system.

CHS Inaugurates New Office in Bridgeton

CHS was pleased to welcome leaders from South New Jersey’s Latino and minority communities, representatives from state and local agencies, partner organizations, and members of the media to a celebration of the opening of its new facility in Bridgeton, New Jersey. The reception was held September 28, 2008 at CHS’ new two-story office in Cumberland County, New Jersey located at 22 Washington Street in the city of Bridgeton.

Diabetes Education Class at the new facility. Photo by Carmen Lopez

The 5,000 square foot building houses some 31 rooms, a medical office, and a state-of-the-art conference room to enable CHS to efficiently administer its expanding programs. Under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Labor, CHS provides a comprehensive program of rehabilitative counseling, education, and training services directed to migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs). In addition, through a grant provided by the New Jersey State Department of Labor and in partnership with the Vineland, NJ City Public School system, CHS administers English as a Second Language and civics instruction for Hispanic adult learners. A new grant funded by New Jersey’s Department of Health and Senior Services/Office of Minority and Multicultural Health allows CHS to continue diabetes prevention and self management services to minority communities in Cumberland County.

CHS was pleased to welcome the Honorable Consul of Mexico, Dr. Enrique Ruiz Sanchez, who presented certificates to students newly graduating from Plazas Comunitarias, part of the IME (Instituto de Mexicanos en el Exterior-Mexican Institute of Mexicans Living Abroad) Becas program. CHS was one of the first sites selected in 2002 by the Government of Mexico to administer a long distance learning program that offers Mexican students in the U.S. an opportunity to earn a Mexican secondary diploma via web-based education programming. The program now is not only available to Mexican students but to immigrants of any nationality who would like to continue their education. 

Also in attendance was URC-CHS President Barbara Turner, who noted, "I am pleased that we could inaugurate our facility together with the Consul of Mexico. This joint education program offers a great opportunity for the Bridgeton community. Our new facility provides easy access and space for CHS to expand as our programs in the community grow."

New Jersey Director Louis Marino commented on the milestone the move represents: “We’ve come a long way since we began with a summer High School Equivalency program located in the basement of the Bridgeton Public Library. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of many of our staff, including Barbara Turner and CHS Project Director Grogan Ullah, we were in a position to expand to a larger space. The new facility allows us to provide a fuller range of services to communities in Southern New Jersey. With over 20 years of experience in the region, CHS has developed relationships that give us unique insights into the needs of the area’s Latino and minority communities.”

The office inauguration was featured in an article in Nuestra Comunidad, a community newspaper published in Spanish in South New Jersey.  For more information, please contact Louis Marino at lmarino@urc-chs.com.

CHS Awarded Grant to Provide Diabetes Services to Hispanic and African American Communities in Cumberland County, New Jersey

A new three-year grant will allow CHS to continue to provide services that address disparities in diabetes services for minority communities in Cumberland County, New Jersey. CHS’ previous three-year "Community Health Mobilization: Reducing Diabetes Disparities” project, funded by New Jersey’s Department of Health and Senior Services/Office of Minority and Multicultural Health, provided diabetes prevention and self management services to the Hispanic/Latino community, with a focus on migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs).

Under the prior project, CHS administered the American Diabetes Association Risk Test (ADART) to more than 3,000 individuals in Cumberland County, New Jersey. Of those who received the ADART, almost 40% were determined to be at risk for Diabetes. The development of Type II diabetes is associated with high rates of health care resource utilization, poor quality of life, increased work and school absenteeism, and higher rates of mortality at younger ages. In Cumberland County, incidence rates and risk-factors related to the development of diabetes are significantly high among certain racial and ethnic groups including Hispanic and Latino groups as well as African Americans. The prevalence and incidence of diabetes is especially high particularly among MSFWs, for whom access to health care or health services utilization is extremely low.

Under the new grant, also funded by the NJ Office of Minority and Multicultural Health, CHS will continue to provide services to the Hispanic/Latino population and extend outreach to the county’s African American community. The importance of addressing the risk among minority communities and helping them access services is noted by CHS Senior Project Director, Louis Marino: “Diabetes can be a silent killer, and it’s a particular health threat in our minority communities. If we can identify those at most risk, we can get people into care before they develop disabling or life-threatening complications.”

CHS will continue to work in partnership with Community Health Care Incorporated, a non-profit, community-based medical and dental care provider with health care centers throughout Cumberland County. The new grant will enable CHS to offer screening services for target communities. Individuals at risk for having or developing diabetes will then be referred to Community Health Care Center for further testing and/or treatment. The project will also provide education to increase awareness about nutrition and weight, offer exercise programs, and make eye care services accessible. 

For more information, please contact Louis Marino at lmarino@urc-chs.com.