Quest Supports Expansion of Community Center and Provides No-Cost Wellness Testing to Newark Faith Community

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 2, 2024 / Quest Diagnostics:

Foto: Accesswire

At a glance:

• Quest worked with St. James Health in Newark to provide no-cost Blueprint for Wellness screenings during a Choose Healthy Life event to celebrate expansion of Newark, NJ-based Metropolitan Baptist Church's The Willing Heart Community Care Center
• Willing Heart is a Choose Healthy Life HUB partner supported through a grant from the Quest Diagnostics Foundation as part of the Quest for Health Equity (Q4HE) initiative
• Q4HE team also arranged a special guest appearance from Elmo thanks to a collaboration with Sesame Workshop

The full story:

Quest Diagnostics provided no-cost Blueprint for Wellness comprehensive health screenings in collaboration with St. James Health, a community health center focused on providing comprehensive primary health and preventive services in the East, West, and South Wards of Newark, NJ, at a Choose Healthy Life (CHL) event at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Newark. The effort was part of an ongoing collaboration between Choose Healthy Life and the Quest Diagnostics Foundation as part of its Quest for Health Equity (Q4HE) initiative.

The event celebrated the expansion of the church's Willing Heart Community Care Center, which is focused on addressing social inequities in healthcare, employment, housing, food disparity, and poverty in Newark and surrounding communities, and the center's transformation to Willing Heart Family Empowerment Center.

"I'm truly grateful to celebrate such a groundbreaking initiative at Metropolitan Baptist Church. Under the leadership of Pastor, Rev. Dr. David Jefferson Sr. and with the support of our HUB partner, Willing Heart Community Care Center (WHCCC), we are setting a new standard for holistic community care with the new family empowerment center. This center serves as a testament to the power of faith and community collaboration. Metropolitan is the first in the state of New Jersey and the second among Choose Healthy Life churches to have such a center," said Rev. Kimberly L. Williams, Executive Director, Choose Healthy Life. "I extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who played a part in making this vision a reality. Special gratitude goes to the Quest Diagnostics Foundation for their continued support and donated testing services to address health equity in the communities we serve like Newark through the Quest for Health Equity initiative. Together, we are not just dreaming of a healthier future; we are building it."