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Horizon Foundation for New Jersey Renewal Grant to Provide Support of Health Access Transportation Program

Horizon Foundation for New Jersey Renewal Grant to Provide Support of Health Access Transportation Program

goHunterdon has been awarded $50,000 from the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey for ongoing support of the Hunterdon Health Access Transportation Program.

This is the third allocation awarded to goHunterdon from the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey based on the success of the program which began in 2020. In the three years since the program first launched, more than 2,000 rides have been provided to seniors.

The Hunterdon Health Access Transportation Program provides Uber and Lyft rides for senior patients of Hunterdon Health to get to non-emergency medical appointments. Participants are identified by Home Medical Care Coordinators at more than twenty Hunterdon Health affiliated primary care practices as being at risk for missing needed care due to a lack of transportation.

goHunterdon staff facilitates rides for patients, monitoring each ride in real time, to ensure that participants arrive safely at their destination.

“Lack of transportation has regularly been identified in the Community Health Needs Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan as a barrier to healthcare within Hunterdon County,” say Tara Shepherd, goHunterdon Executive Director. “This program meets a very specific transportation need for a specific population within the community,” she notes. “It is providing participants with access to often long delayed medical and preventive care.”

“The program is only possible with the ongoing support of the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey,” says Shepherd.

Since 2004, the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey has aimed to make New Jersey healthier by supporting nonprofit organizations that expand access to health care, remove barriers to good health and improve health equity to increase opportunities for everyone to live their healthiest life possible, no matter who they are or where they live.

For more information about goHunterdon or the Hunterdon Health Access Transportation Program, contact tshepherd@gohunterdon.org

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Hunterdon County First Responders Learn About Electric Vehicles

Hunterdon County First Responders Learn About Electric Vehicles

Emergency personnel from across Hunterdon County participated in a First Responders Electric Vehicle (EV) training on July 8, 2023 at the Hunterdon County Emergency Services Training Center in Annandale. Mike Hornsby, a firefighter from Princeton Junction, and a member of the New Jersey Electric Vehicle Association, taught responders about the differences between electric vehicle and internal combustion engine vehicle chassis, how to identify high voltage cut-off locations in various EV models, and best practices for fire suppression.

This training, coordinated by the Clinton Township Green Team, with support from goHunterdon and the NJ Electric Vehicle Association, included a display of a variety of electric vehicles, offering first responders with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with various vehicles~ Chevrolet Bolt, Ford Mustang Mach-e, Hummer EV, Volkswagen e-Golf, Volkswagen ID.4, Polestar 2 Lucid Air, Tesla Model S, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model Y, Kia EV6. The electric vehicles on display included models owned by local EV owners and from local dealers Ciocca Ford of Flemington, Ciocca Chevrolet, Buick, GMC of Flemington, and Ciocca Volkswagen of Flemington.

Attendees included First Responders from the Amwell Valley Fire Company (East Amwell), Town of Clinton Fire Department, Clinton Township Division of Fire, Hunterdon County Department of Public Safety, Hunterdon County Hazardous Material Response Unit, Kingwood Fire Company, Raritan Township Fire Company, South Branch Emergency Services (Town of Clinton, Clinton Twp, Lebanon Borough, Glen Gardner, High Bridge, Hampton), Tewksbury Rescue Squad, West Amwell Fire Company, Milford Fire Company, High Bridge Fire Department, Town of Clinton Police Department, Readington Township Fire Company, Whitehouse Rescue Squad (Readington Twp), Pattenburg Rescue Squad, and Holland Twp Fire Company.

For more information about electric vehicles in Hunterdon County, contact Margret Thompson, Sustainable Hunterdon Coordinator, mthompson@gohunterdon.org

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New Rack Cards Complement County’s “Explore Hunterdon” Tourism Initiative

new rack cards complement county’s “explore hunterdon” tourism initiative

Newly designed Bike Hunterdon “rack cards” are being distributed throughout the county as part of goHunterdon’s ongoing collaboration with the Hunterdon County Department of Economic Development and Tourism. The new cards visually complement the County’s existing tourism initiative rack cards~ Hunterdon 579 Trail, Hunterdon Beer Trail, and Hunterdon Main Streets.

“Recreational bicycling brings many people to Hunterdon County. Through our collaboration with goHunterdon, we are hoping to attract even more by incorporating the Bike Hunterdon brand into our other tourism initiatives,” says Marc Saluk, Director, Hunterdon County Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

For more information about bicycling in Hunterdon County, visit www.bikehunterdon.org

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NJDOT Announces Safe Routes to School 2024 Grant Solicitation

Funds support projects to encourage walking and biking to K-12 schools

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has announced that the grant solicitation period for the 2024 Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program is open, with applications being accepted through November 17, 2023.

“Safe Routes to School grants provide resources to communities throughout New Jersey to make safety improvements to the sidewalks and crosswalks our children use to walk or bike to school, without the need to impact local property taxes,” NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said. “As part of NJDOT’s commitment to communities, we work with the three regional planning authorities to provide federal funding to counties and municipalities for local transportation projects that enhance safety and strengthen the cultural, aesthetic, and environmental aspects of our transportation system.”

The SRTS program is funded through the Federal Highway Administration’s Federal Aid Program and is administered by the NJDOT Division of Local Aid and Economic Development, in partnership with the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA), the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), and the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO).

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) expanded the SRTS program from K-8 to include high schools as well. SRTS grants are available for infrastructure projects that encourage and enable K-12 students to walk and bike safely to school. Proposed project improvements must be within a two-mile radius of a K-12 school. SRTS facilitates the planning, development and implementation of projects that improve safety and air quality, as well as reduce traffic and fuel consumption around schools. NJDOT’s Local Aid Resource Center provides a central warehouse for local government managers by providing hands-on resources for the application process, raising awareness of grant cycles and proactively communicating program information.

For more information on the grant program, visit https://www.saferoutesnj.org/safe-routes-to-school-grants, the Local Aid Resource Center at www.njdotlocalaidrc.com; email LocalAID.ResourceCenter@dot.nj.gov or call 609.649.9395.

Contact Ryan Fisher, goHunterdon Safety Programs Manager, for application assistance, rfisher@gohunterdon.org

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Bicycle Tourism: Cyclists Welcome!

Bicycle tourism is a growing segment of the tourism industry, supporting local communities, businesses, and economies. According to a study by the Outdoor Recreation Association, bicycle travelers stay longer in a region and spend up to 40% more than the average motorized tourist.

goHunterdon has been actively promoting Hunterdon County as a bicycling destination since the launch of the Bike Hunterdon initiative in 2010.

One way to support bicycle tourists is to identify establishments like coffee shops, breweries, restaurants, and retailers where they can easily park their bicycle, grab a bite to eat and re-fuel,“ says Tara Shepherd, goHunterdon executive director. “Our Cyclists Welcome program provides businesses with an opportunity to highlight themselves as particularly welcoming to bicyclists.

More than thirty Hunterdon businesses have already signed up and received a colorful free decal to display at their business. A list of current “Cyclists Welcome” locations is available here.

Hunterdon businesses are invited to request a decal by completing a brief online form.

For more information: https://www.bikehunterdon.org/cyclist-welcome-decal