Valley’s latest Community Benefit Report shares updates and statistics about our community outreach, education, partnership, and support initiatives. Read on to learn more about Valley's contributions.
Preventing Stroke, Protecting Community: Valley’s Outreach at Ridgecrest
On February 14, 2024, Valley’s Community Health Department hosted a Stroke Risk Health Assessment at Ridgecrest Senior Housing in Ridgewood, serving low-income older adults and residents with disabilities. The event brought together a wide range of Valley professionals – including nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists, and lab specialists – to provide screenings, medication reviews, nutrition counseling, and stroke education.
With support from interpreters and bilingual staff, the team ensured services were accessible to Ridgecrest’s diverse population. A highlight of the day was the mentoring of a new nurse, who gained hands-on experience in conducting stroke risk assessments and educating patients. Importantly, one resident in hypertensive crisis was identified and promptly referred for emergency care.
The event demonstrated the power of interdisciplinary collaboration, preventive care, and Valley’s commitment to community health, safety, and education.
Public Health Nursing at Valley: Protecting and Advancing Community Health
The Valley Hospital’s Community Health Department public health nurses play a vital role in promoting health, preventing disease, and reducing health disparities across Bergen County. Through partnerships with 20 municipalities, Valley delivers essential services such as communicable disease investigations, school immunization audits, adult and child health clinics, and health education. These efforts help prevent outbreaks of measles, hepatitis, and pertussis while meeting New Jersey Department of Health requirements.
Valley also participates in the federally funded Vaccines for Children Program, providing free immunizations to uninsured and underinsured children and connecting families to ongoing primary care through Valley’s Family Care Center. Monthly adult clinics offer preventive screenings and education to support early detection of chronic conditions.
Serving 107 schools and countless families, Valley’s public health nurses collaborate with healthcare and public health partners to strengthen community resilience and advance health equity
At Valley, public health nurses are more than caregivers – they are catalysts for change and champions for health equity.
Breaking Barriers to Care: Valley’s Community Health Education Initiatives
Through its Community Speaker’s Bureau, Valley provides expert speakers to local organizations at no cost, promoting education and awareness on key health topics. In 2024, speakers reached 1,140 people across 30 community organizations, covering sleep health, stroke prevention, memory, balance, nutrition, mental health, and heart health.
Recently, Valley partnered with Agape Christian Ministries to address health disparities affecting Black men, including higher rates of heart disease, hypertension, and certain cancers. The event featured an inspiring message from the pastor, a health lecture by Valley’s community educator and social worker, and education on stroke, prostate, and colon cancer. Blood pressure screenings offered practical tools for early detection.
This collaboration highlights Valley’s commitment to advancing health equity by meeting people where they are, building trust, and empowering communities with knowledge and resources to make healthier choices.
Valley and Bergen Community College Partner to Advance Health Equity
Valley Health System continues its partnership with Bergen Community College to address health inequities and the specific health needs of the BIPOC community. As part of this collaboration, Valley and Bergen Community College jointly sponsored a community program featuring Uché Blackstock, MD, an emergency medicine physician and nationally recognized advocate for health equity.
Dr. Blackstock spoke to an audience of 200 community members about the critical role systemic racism plays in shaping health outcomes and why meaningful healthcare reform cannot succeed without confronting inequities within both society and the healthcare system. Drawing from her personal experiences and her bestselling book Legacy, she shared powerful insights into structural barriers in medicine and offered strategies for driving lasting change.
The event reinforced Valley’s commitment to fostering dialogue, education, and partnerships that advance health equity and promote a more just healthcare system for all.
One Program at a Time: Empowering Healthier Choices Across the Community
At Valley, promoting good health extends beyond patients to the entire community. Our goal is to make health education accessible, engaging, and relevant for everyone.
In 2024, 14,650 people attended 385 in-person health screenings, exercise classes, and educational events, while 120,732 connected online through virtual programs, podcasts, written education, and social media. Altogether, nearly 150,000 people learned ways to live healthier lives through Valley’s Community Health Department.
The impact was significant: 94.6% of participants reported learning something new, and 85.3% plan to make positive lifestyle changes. Popular topics included sleep health, weight loss, aging, eye care, skin care, stroke prevention, and honest conversations about dying.
Whether in person or online, Valley continues to provide trusted health information, empowering individuals and communities to make healthier choices every day.
Empowering Women, Energizing Families: Thrive! Programs Make a Difference
Thrive! empowers women of all ages to take charge of their wellness, improve the health of their families, and set aside time for themselves to have a little fun. In 2024, Thrive! Moms reached an impressive 2,482 members, reflecting the program’s growing impact in the community. Throughout the year, Thrive! hosted 30 health education classes covering topics such as nutrition, stress management, and family health. The program also offered a walking group that engaged 80 moms in regular physical activity while fostering connection and support. Thrive! actively partnered with local organizations, participating in 13 community events, including collaborations with Fit for Mom, a prenatal and postnatal fitness program, a local baby store, and a bike safety event with the local police department. Thrive! continues to inspire women to prioritize wellness, family health, and personal growth.
Feeding Hope: Valley Supports Annual March Mega Food Drive
Valley proudly partnered with the Jewish Federation for their annual March Mega Food Drive, demonstrating a shared commitment to addressing food insecurity in the region. Staff, along with community members, enthusiastically contributed to multiple collection sites across the Valley Health System, bringing together a spirit of generosity and collaboration. Thanks to these combined efforts, an impressive 25,000 pounds of food were collected. The donations were carefully sorted and distributed to 23 local organizations serving Bergen, Passaic, and Hudson counties, helping countless individuals and families in need. This annual initiative highlights Valley’s dedication not only to health but also to the overall well-being of the community, showing how healthcare organizations can play an active role in supporting basic needs and fostering stronger, more resilient communities.
Uncompensated Care
In 2024, The Valley Hospital provided $201,600,843* in uncompensated care attributed to charity care, bad debt, and Medicaid and Medicare shortfalls.
*Additional areas: Bad Debt: $17,714,646; Medicare: $142,947,167