West Orange, NJ, June 16, 2022 – To commemorate the significance of Juneteenth and recognize our nation’s strides toward equity, hospitals and health care facilities across RWJBarnabas Health, the most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, will be hosting a variety of events for employees.  Juneteenth, also called Emancipation Day, honors the effective end of slavery in the United States.

“Our valued colleagues of all races bring to their roles the best of themselves, tirelessly caring for our patients with skill and kindness. As we strive to recognize important holidays for all members of the richly diverse communities we serve, we acknowledge that Juneteenth marks a pivotal moment in American history for African Americans in particular,” said Barry H. Ostrowsky, Chief Executive Officer, RWJBarnabas Health. “We observe Juneteenth, which is extremely significant to the people we work alongside every day, in the spirit of allyship, in honor of our friends, colleagues and other stakeholders who are descendants of slaves, and because we must continually remind ourselves that while slavery might have been declared over, its legacy continues and therefore our commitment to equity must not falter.”

RWJBarnabas Health’s observation of Juneteenth will begin Thursday, June 16, and end on Tuesday, June 21. Planned events include:

Launched in December 2020, RWJBarnabas Health’s antiracism strategy, Ending Racism Together, focuses on creating racial, ethnic and cultural equity within the health system and supporting communities that are the most disenfranchised and experience poor health, social, economic, and educational outcomes due to the generational effects of racism. The system’s journey to ensuring an antiracist enterprise with equitable policies and behavior includes transforming standard practices.

“We can’t begin to change our behavior until we recognize the ways we are causing harm,” added Mr. Ostrowsky. “In that same vein, we can’t celebrate Juneteenth or become true allies with our Black community until we study our history, flaws and all, to put into perspective why this date must be commemorated.”

“Juneteenth gives us all an opportunity to reflect on American history and the ideals of equality and equity, while serving as a reminder of the overt and structural racism still experienced daily by many of our patients, colleagues, and members of our community,” said DeAnna Minus-Vincent, Executive Vice President and Chief Social Justice and Accountability Officer, at RWJBarnabas Health, who spearheads Ending Racism Together. “The expansive legacy of slavery did not end in 1865. The underpinnings of a new nation were created at a time when an entire group of people, people of African descent, were viewed as property and forced into captivity. We see its grip daily; the vestiges evident and statistics undeniable. Those individuals who identify as Black or African American are disproportionately affected by poor health, social, economic, and educational outcomes, and as an anchor institution in one of the most diverse states in the nation, RWJBarnabas Health’s mandate is to build an antiracist infrastructure with permanence, one that will serve as our system’s foundation moving forward,” Minus-Vincent said.

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RWJBarnabas Health is the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, with a service area covering nine counties with five million people. The system includes twelve acute care hospitals – Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, Community Medical Center in Toms River, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton in Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway in Rahway, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, and Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth; three acute care children’s hospitals; Children’s Specialized Hospital, including a network of outpatient centers; a behavioral health center and the state’s largest behavioral health network; two trauma centers; a satellite emergency department; ambulatory care centers; geriatric centers; comprehensive home care and hospice programs; fitness and wellness centers; retail pharmacy services; an affiliated medical group; multi-site imaging centers; and two accountable care organizations.

RWJBarnabas Health is New Jersey’s largest private employer – with more than 37,000 employees and 9,000 physicians – and routinely captures national awards for outstanding quality and safety. RWJBarnabas Health, in partnership with Rutgers University, is New Jersey’s largest academic health care system. The collaboration aligns RWJBarnabas Health with Rutgers’ education, research, and clinical activities, including those at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey – the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center – and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care.