Stand with Rutgers healthcare workers caring for vulnerable, at-risk children in foster care.
New Jersey Department of Children and Families Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer & Rutgers Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Chancellor Brian Strom
Healthcare workers across NJ have responded to the call, providing patient care throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, now essential workers providing support medical services to foster children are facing layoffs. The need for healthcare workers has not gone away, yet the Department of Children and Families (DCF) proposed a $4.3 million cut to the Child Health Unit and these cuts were approved by Governor Murphy and NJ lawmakers in September 2020.
The Child Health Unit is funded through DCF and is administered and operated by Rutgers University. As a result of this budget cut, nearly 80 nurses and support staff will no longer be on the frontlines assessing and managing the healthcare needs of vulnerable children in NJ’s foster care system. Rutgers has delivered these layoff notices informing them that their last day will be November 6th.
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To:
New Jersey Department of Children and Families Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer & Rutgers Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Chancellor Brian Strom
From:
[Your Name]
We the undersigned individuals and organizations, urge you to rescind the layoffs of nurses and healthcare workers in the Child Health Unit to ensure foster care children will have access to medical care and services they need to stay healthy.
As NJ and the nation continue to battle COVID-19, this is not the time to reduce access to care. Foster families rely on the professional services of the Child Health Unit who have continued to monitor the medical needs of foster children who are especially vulnerable as they transition to new homes during a global pandemic.
NJ must continue to provide the resources to the Child Health Unit to keep services and care intact to protect the health and wellbeing of vulnerable children.