New Jersey In-Home Asthma Intervention Pilot Project: Rutgers School of Nursing and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Department of Pediatrics

The Rutgers School of Nursing, which is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, evidence-based health care delivery, and the promotion of community health, educates nearly 1,800 undergraduate and graduate students at four New Jersey campuses. The Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Department of Pediatrics offers a full range of family-centered ambulatory and in-patient services ranging from well-child care to the care of children with complex or life-threatening illnesses.

This pilot project aims to improve asthma outcomes and reduce overall healthcare costs for children ages 2 to 17 years in the Greater Newark area who are enrolled in NJFamily Care, New Jersey’s Medicaid program. The project provides an evidence-based in-home asthma intervention designed to reduce environmental triggers that exacerbate the condition. The intervention consists of three home visits, conducted over two to three months, and a follow-up phone call six months after the final visit. Community health workers provide the in-home visits, which include an environmental assessment; the provision of supplies proven to reduce exposure to known triggers, such as dust and pests; asthma education; and asthma care coordination with the children’s primary care provider.

This project, one of four sites participating in the asthma pilot intervention, is a partnership with the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH). NJDOH is supporting a cost evaluation that will be conducted by The Center for State Health Policy. The evaluation will assess whether the intervention contributes to overall savings in health care costs by reducing avoidable hospitalizations. In addition, the project supports Health Resources in Action, which is providing technical assistance to the four sites as they implement the intervention and is conducting a programmatic evaluation of the project. The other sites participating in the initiative are:

Health Coalition of Passaic County

Henry J. Austin Health Center

Jersey Shore University Medical Center

Learn more about the Rutgers School of Nursing and Rutgers New Jersey School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics.