Thornton was impressed with the employer connections NCCTI offered to its students and liked that it was a short-term program.

“It was definitely something that I was able to do at the time,” she said.

Thornton graduated from the PCT program in 2020 and started working at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (formerly Saint Barnabas Medical Center) in Livingston shortly after as a patient care technician. In December, she will celebrate two years in that position.

She works in a surgical step-down unit, which means she provides a level of care between the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the general medical-surgical ward. She draws blood, performs EKGs, helps nurses with wound care, helps patients walk and perform physical therapy and washes patients.

Thornton has excelled in her role. She was even named Employee of the Month before her probationary period concluded.

Even though she was working full-time at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, Thornton decided to take on another full-time role as a patient care technician at University Hospital in Newark. She started that job in July. She works 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center and a night shift at University Hospital.

Thornton doesn’t plan to work two full-time jobs for an extended period, but has some financial goals to accomplish. She also wants to continue her education and eventually become a physician’s assistant. She is currently at Essex County College working toward becoming a registered nurse.

“We at NCCTI are very proud of the accomplishments made by Christina Thornton. We wish her continued success,” said NCCTI Director Dr. Sylvia McCray.

Thornton enjoys her work as a patient care technician because it involves service to others. Before enrolling at NCCTI, she had jobs in group homes and homeless shelters.

“I just like helping people and making a difference in people’s lives,” she said.

Despite starting the PCT program virtually during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Thornton and her classmates were able to get hands-on instruction when conditions improved. Upon completion of the program, she felt prepared to begin her career.

NCCTI helped connect Thornton and her classmates to potential employers. Students were encouraged to fill out applications while on site. She recalls one classmate even received a job offer before she had passed the certification exam. Her own job offer came quickly after her interview.

Thornton is thankful for her experience at NCCTI.

“The staff was really good. It’s a good school,” she said. “They definitely do live up to their promise.”

NCCTI is an accredited post-secondary career and technical institution that offers the following programs: Automotive Technician, Diesel Technician, Building Trades Specialist, Clinical Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Community Healthcare Worker, Culinary Arts Specialist and Business & Computer Technologies. NCCTI also operates a comprehensive Financial Opportunity Center and Bridges to Career Opportunities Program sponsored by the local and national Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) offices. For more information, call 973-824-6484, log onto newcommunitytech.edu or visit 274 South Orange Ave., Newark.

Essex County Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura’s Office makes it possible every year for New Community’s Family Resource Success Center to provide holiday joy to children of families who call upon the center for help with services. The Sheriff’s Office has provided generous donations of toys every year for over 10 years and the 2021 holiday season was no exception. We truly appreciate the partnership, which helps bring smiles to children’s faces on Christmas morning.

Photos: New Community’s Family Resource Success Center identified the Jones-Smith family (two individuals), the Coleman-Brewer family (four individuals) and the Bishop family (five individuals) as recipients of Walmart gift cards from the Youth Department Mission Project of Good Neighbor Baptist Church in Newark. The church provided the gift cards for the holidays so families could purchase items that they wanted. Photos courtesy of Mary Thomas.

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only been a health crisis, but it has also had a devastating financial impact for many. One of those people is Anisha Mohammed. She lives in Newark and because she couldn’t work during the height of the pandemic, she is four months behind on her rent. With eviction protection set to expire at the end of 2021, she fears losing her housing.

“I couldn’t go to work and then I just started back at work this year,” Mohammed explained. She paid her rent as long as she could until she exhausted her savings.

Mohammed and many other Newark residents have applied for the city’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). ERAP funds will pay up to 12 months of past-due rent and up to three months future rent for accepted applicants.

Such funding can be a lifeline for those in need, including Mohammed who has three children and a grandchild living with her.

“This would be helpful until I get back up on my feet because now I’m working,” she said. “I want to qualify for money for the back rent because you still have to pay the one in front.”

New Community is one of the community-based organizations that partnered with the City of Newark to help connect residents financially impacted by COVID-19 to emergency rental assistance. The city’s ERAP program, which began in July, was so successful that applications had to be stopped on Dec. 10, prior to the original extension to Jan. 7, 2022.

New Community personnel met with applicants and assisted them throughout the application process. They scanned and input necessary documentation, set up email accounts for those without them and made sure applicants had all necessary documents for a complete application. They also followed up with applicants if additional information was requested.

“As a landlord, New Community is vested in our residents, neighborhoods and the community. We are assisting those that need help in applying for eviction relief funds,” said NCC Chief Operating Officer Fred Hunter. “No one wants to see families being evicted. Also, this time of the year children should be enjoying the holiday season and not worrying where their family will be living come winter.”

In addition to assisting ERAP applicants, New Community personnel participated in outreach to encourage more people to apply. They handed out information at events, put flyers in food boxes and displayed program details in prominent community areas.

Those who received ERAP application assistance with New Community also got information about other programs and services available to them.

“We never let people come for just one service,” said New Community Family Resource Success Center Director Joann Williams-Swiney. “We try to make sure all their needs are met. Many of the residents who come in for ERAP also apply for the energy assistance program.”

Mohammed was prescreened when she called about ERAP and obtained a dual appointment for the ERAP and energy assistance applications. Williams-Swiney helped Mohammed apply to both programs.

In addition to benefit programs, ERAP applicants are also introduced to New Community’s many offerings, including educational opportunities at New Community Career & Technical Institute (NCCTI) and the Adult Learning Center and behavioral health care provided by Family Service Bureau of Newark (FSB). 

Applicants can also be assisted in other ways. During Mohammed’s appointment, she said she was having electrical issues and a rodent problem that hadn’t been addressed by her landlord. Williams-Swiney contacted the city’s Code Enforcement office on Mohammed’s behalf and provided her with additional information surrounding those issues.

“This is why it’s important to take a little time with people. Because there are bigger pictures in many cases,” Williams-Swiney said. “We want to do what we can to try to help them holistically. Not just do the application and send them on their way.”

According to Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, the city has distributed or committed its full $20.3 million allocation to more than 1,800 households, which made it necessary to stop accepting ERAP applications early.

New Community can still assist those who started applications but have missing information or need additional follow-up. Those who did not have the opportunity to apply to Newark’s ERAP are able to access the Essex County ERAP portal at https://portal.neighborlysoftware.com/ERAP-ESSEXCOUNTYNJ/Participant or apply at the Essex County Division of Community Action, 50 South Clinton St., East Orange.

To assist residents who missed the opportunity to apply to Newark’s ERAP, New Community is hosting Essex County ERAP personnel on Dec. 14 and 15 who will help residents apply for assistance through the county program.

Lavel Chambers and Denayah Reese were classmates in the Patient Care Technician (PCT) program at NCCTI. They completed the program in 2019 and both found employment at Clara Maass Medical Center. Both women have worked at the facility since getting hired, throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Now they are both enrolled in classes at Essex County College where they are pursuing additional degrees to advance in the area of nursing.

Chambers plans to enroll in a licensed practical nurse (LPN) program and then obtain her bachelor’s degree and become a registered nurse (RN). Reese hopes to become an RN and ultimately a nurse practitioner (NP), which is an advanced practice registered nurse who is trained to assess patient needs, order and interpret diagnostic and laboratory tests, diagnose disease and formulate and prescribe treatment plans. An NP requires a master’s degree.

“Lavel and Denayah are examples of how NCCTI’s Patient Care Technician program serves as a starting point for our graduates looking to continue to pursue a career in health care. They are examples of staying true to the concept of career growth, moving up the career lattice,” said NCCTI Director Rodney Brutton. “The sky is the limit for Denayah and Lavel because of their strong work ethic, their commitment to succeed and willingness to grow professionally.”

Their experience at NCCTI launched their careers and opened their eyes to the potential in the health care field. They received compliments from their instructors and their Clara Maass coworkers that encouraged them to pursue additional education.

Both Chambers and Reese credit their instructors at NCCTI with helping them succeed on the job.

“The hands-on training was an A+ for us,” Chambers said. She explained that when she first started working at Clara Maass, she immediately had to draw blood and perform EKGs, two of the skills she learned at NCCTI, without any on-the-job training.

In addition to the mechanical workings of phlebotomy and EKGs, Reese said PCT Instructor Dr. Maha Koltowski also taught students about bedside care.

“She taught us how to properly go in and talk to the patient. She taught us how to clean them,” Reese said. “Everything she taught us helped.”

Chambers works as a nurse’s aide in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Clara Maass Medical Center. Her job responsibilities include drawing blood, taking blood pressures and temperatures, cleaning and repositioning patients and transporting patients to other units. She has worked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and has seen many COVID-positive patients.

Reese is a nursing assistant on the cardiac floor at Clara Maass Medical Center. She takes vital signs of patients, EKGs to check their hearts, draws blood, transfers patients to the operating room and discharges patients, which is her favorite task.

“My favorite part of my job is seeing the patients go home because I know that my coworkers and I did a great job caring for the patient,” she said. “I love to see them go home. I like to see them get into the car with their families and hug them. It’s a good feeling inside.”

Both women entered the health care field because of their experiences as children with family members. Chambers went to work with her mother, who served as a home health aide, as a child and remembered seeing her mother help those that needed assistance.

“To see the love and compassion that she had for her patients, I wanted to do the same thing,” Chambers said. “And then I want to pursue more education because she never finished going to nursing programs. So I’m trying to live for both of us.”

Reese cared for her grandmother when she was younger and helped other older relatives as well. Now she is furthering her education because she wants to make an even greater impact on patients.

“I have a passion for this deep down. I feel like I’m not at work, I’m at home. Like I leave home to go to my real home,” Reese said.

The commitment and enthusiasm for the field shined through when they were students at NCCTI. Both women attended class regularly, even amid some difficult circumstances. Chambers was working an overnight shift at FedEx while in the PCT program, which meant she left work at 6 a.m., took her children to school and then went straight to NCCTI for a full day of instruction. Reese had just turned 18 when she enrolled and was caring for a young son. But both were dedicated to earning their certifications.

“Lavel Chambers and Denayah Reese were good listeners in class. They were hard-working ladies with humble spirits. Both were attentive to the reviews at the end of the module, and they never got bored repeating the review more than once or twice. They were always following my coaching,” said PCT Instructor Dr. Maha Koltowski. “I kept telling them they have to further their careers because they are able and it is worth it.”

Both women agree that pursuing degrees is worthwhile and are excelling. Chambers has been inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success, the nation’s largest leadership honor society, and is on track to graduate from Essex County College with an associate’s degree early. Reese plans to begin the nursing program at Essex County College in the fall of 2022.

They each have families to tend to as well. Chambers has been married for 13 years and has four children ranging in age from 3 to 10. Reese has a 4-year-old son.

NCCTI staff members take an interest in students, understanding their circumstances and helping them on their path. That type of attention is welcomed by students.

“Everyone at NCCTI is caring and has compassion for everyone,” Reese said. “I didn’t think that they would actually take the time to care what my name was or anything. They came to the class every day making sure everyone was OK. And then the other resources helped too to actually get to school and stay in school.”

Resources including financial coaching, transportation vouchers and food assistance are accessible to NCCTI students to help them on the road to success. They are able to access those resources after they finish their program as well.

Students in NCCTI programs can expect to remain in contact with school personnel long after graduation.

“We as a school follow up and track our graduates to see how they’re doing. We have retention services to see if they have any career growth,” Brutton said. “It’s that holistic approach to helping our students, not only while they are here but as they transition into the workforce and remain in the workforce.”

Chambers and Reese are great examples of NCCTI fulfilling its mission to improve the quality of life of all students through education and occupational training in a community that fosters life-long learning.

NCCTI is an accredited post-secondary career and technical institution that offers the following programs: Automotive Technician, Diesel Technician, Building Trades Specialist, Clinical Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Community Healthcare Worker, Culinary Arts Specialist and Business & Computer Technologies. NCCTI also operates a comprehensive Financial Opportunity Center and Bridges to Career Opportunities Program sponsored by the local and national Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) offices. For more information, call 973-824-6484, log onto newcommunitytech.edu or visit 274 South Orange Ave., Newark.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding economic crisis are devastating underserved communities and we wanted to ensure we were positioned to increase our impact and highlight the core services that will increase in demand as we begin life post pandemic,” stated Richard Rohrman, New Community CEO. “People are looking to trusted brands to provide them with safety and security in these testing times. We are excited to do right by our community and employees with bold messaging and an inspiring new logo that takes us into the future and makes it clear how we can help those in need.”

“New Community has had over 60,000 service interactions since the start of the pandemic year and the need for services continues every day. We understand the current environment and the competitive nature of grants and funding in this economy and want to make sure we are positioned internally and externally to continue our work well into the future,” stated Dr. A. Zachary Yamba, New Community Board Chairman. “Our last logo brought us tremendous success and we believe this one will do the same.”

As a part of the brand refresh, New Community has also launched a new tagline (“Vision, Dignity, Achievement”), new logo, new colorway and bold key messaging. The new logo features the words “New Community” in the beloved “New Community Green” partnered with four icons that represent the organization’s core service areas in vibrant shades of blue and yellow, that inspire and bring positive energy. The assets will roll out over New Community’s website, social media pages, merchandise, building signage, vehicles, Clarion newsletter and pole banners in the coming months.

The original NCC logo features the outline of a house and a deep shade of green that has become synonymous with New Community. The new brand assets and key messaging were developed during a nine-month process involving research, focus groups, board input and work with a consulting firm.

According to Optum, the SuperHero Award recognizes individuals who:

• Positively influence teammates and customers (clients, claimants) through their daily interactions
• Support Optum’s aspiration to improve experiences and outcomes for those we serve — one person at a time — while helping to reduce the total cost of care
• Demonstrate our cultural values of integrity, compassion, relationships, innovation and performance
• Take initiative, display resilience, support innovation and creativity

Extended Care Administrator Veronica Onwunaka said Matos deserved recognition because of her commitment to the facility, its patients and staff members throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As an administrator and employer, I must say she is the most caring, kind-hearted, knowledgeable, committed, empathic, loving, team builder and humble person that myself, my residents, families and staff have ever been in contact with. We will emphatically state that she is and continues to be the reason most of us survived the pandemic,” Onwunaka said. “She was there and actively in the forefront fighting with us. We will forever remain grateful to this special nurse.”

Photos courtesy of Extended Care.

Jerrell Mann first became aware of New Community in 2018 when he became a resident of Better Life, which provides supportive housing units for chronically homeless individuals, as well as an engagement center for area homeless individuals and respite services for individuals in crisis who have mental health or substance abuse issues. New Community built, owns and manages the building and contracts with Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey (CSPNJ) as the service provider.

Mann noticed people coming to Better Life’s engagement center to eat. He knew how to cook and offered to help with food preparation. He started volunteering at the facility and Better Life Director Shareatha Webster suggested Mann pursue a culinary arts degree so he could help in an official capacity. She told him about the Culinary Arts Specialist program offered at NCCTI, which is within walking distance of Better Life.

Mann enrolled in NCCTI’s Culinary Arts Specialist program in January 2020. He was unemployed and decided to seize the opportunity that presented itself. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, classes were put on hold. But Mann didn’t give up on the opportunity and returned to the program once it was safe to resume.

He has finished the class portion of the Culinary Arts Specialist program and is now completing his internship at Better Life, where he is serving as the lead cook. He will soon take his certification test, which is the final step.

“I’m most proud of Jerrell’s commitment to completing the program during the uncertainty of the health crisis,” said NCCTI Director Rodney Brutton. “The feedback I’ve received from his instructors is he has excellent cooking skills and leadership skills. It’s a great fit for Jerrell to serve in a leadership role for CSPNJ’s food service activities.”

New Community CEO Richard Rohrman said Mann’s story shows how the organization’s offerings can touch the lives of individuals in multiple ways, helping catapult people to success.

“It is always rewarding to see our efforts in action. Comprehensive services combined with a motivated person are an unbeatable combination,” Rohrman said. “I had the opportunity to meet Jerrell on a visit to Better Life some time ago. He was in the kitchen preparing food for the clients as a volunteer. You could tell from his upbeat friendly attitude that he was going to succeed. Congratulations to you Jerrell and thank you for all you do for those around you.”

Mann has always had a knack for cooking and enjoys the response he gets when cooking for others in need.

“Something that comes naturally to you is really making a difference for somebody. And that’s all the motivation that’s needed,” Mann said. “Because it’s not easy every day in the kitchen but having that satisfaction of knowing that your food is being liked by someone who really appreciates it, that’s my favorite part.”

Before the pandemic, Mann would cook for engagement center guests, volunteering in the Better Life kitchen six days a week. Now he prepares and packages food to be delivered to a local men’s shelter. Better Life hopes to reopen the engagement center to offer to-go meals for guests soon.

Better Life Director Shareatha Webster said she first met Mann when he came to ask to use a fax machine.

“I didn’t have a fax machine so I agreed to allow him to use my computer so he could email the documents. I asked him in return for this favor, if could he make pancakes for the center members on Saturdays. That quickly changed from Saturdays to Monday to Friday preparing breakfast and lunch,” she said. “Individuals came from all over to be a part of the center from 20 members in July 2018 to 1,000 by January.”

Mann grew up in Orange and later moved to West Orange. He attended Seton Hall University where he pursued a degree in English. After that, he worked as a middle school basketball coach and later as a stagehand in New York building entertainment stages for events like ballets and concerts for 11 years. After some struggles, he found himself at Better Life. He is grateful for the opportunities he has had since arriving and said he is happy with “the transformation from where I was to where I’m going.”

Lead Culinary Arts Specialist Instructor Jonathan Butler said Mann made great strides in class and finished his instruction as a chef.

“In the industry, people know there’s a difference between a chef and a cook,” Butler said. “He is one of the few students I had in all these years that left here as a chef and not a cook.”

Butler said with the training and dedication Mann has, in addition to working in a kitchen, he could also supervise a chef brigade.

Mann said learning from the NCCTI Culinary Arts Specialist instructors has made him a better cook and a better man.

“Watching them and learning from them has been a great experience,” Mann said. “If you want to learn what the industry does and get employment somewhere, the NCCTI Culinary Arts program is the track you need to be on.”

NCCTI is currently accepting applications for its accredited post-secondary programs. The online application is available at the school’s website, newcommunitytech.edu. Despite the pandemic, employers are looking to hire graduates in all areas of instruction.

NCCTI is an accredited post-secondary career and technical institution that offers the following programs: Automotive Technician, Diesel Technician, Building Trades Specialist, Clinical Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Community Healthcare Worker, Culinary Arts Specialist and Business and Computer Technologies. NCCTI also operates a comprehensive Financial Opportunity Center and Bridges to Career Opportunities Program sponsored by the local and national Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) offices. For more information, call 973-824-6484, log onto newcommunitytech.edu or visit 274 South Orange Ave., Newark.

Better Life offers supportive services with three distinct offerings: an engagement center, respite services and supportive housing. New Community built, owns and manages the building and contracts with Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey (CSPNJ) as the service provider. Better Life is located at 101 Fourteenth Ave., Newark. For more information, call 862-229-1400.

“NCCTI is pleased to have Dr. Sorial and Mr. Awich join our team. Both come with industry-specific skills and teaching experience,” said NCCTI Director Rodney Brutton. “Our students will benefit greatly from their knowledge and will certainly be well prepared to enter the workforce from a theoretical and practical perspective.”

Awich graduated from the school’s Building Trades Specialist program in 2017 and after graduation started his own general construction business. Before enrolling at NCCTI, he was a New York City school teacher for about 10 years, teaching biology and sciences.

After William Robinson, who served as his Building Trades Specialist instructor, retired, Awich decided to go back to teaching in his new field.

“I saw the training that I got and I thought it would be a good time to come back and provide the same training that I got,” Awich said. “And also being that I’m a former teacher, I said this is another good way of giving back and combining skills.”

He started teaching NCCTI’s Building Trades students in September and enjoys the position. He still has his construction business for weekend projects, but he is now concentrating on his full-time role as an educator.

Sorial has an extensive background in the medical field. He worked in neuropsychiatry in his home country of Egypt before moving to the United States in 1997. When he came to this country, he was unable to find a residency so he decided to become a medical instructor. He has worked in many institutes of higher learning including Eastwick College in Nutley and National Career Institute in East Orange.

He knew his predecessor, Dr. Seham Abouelhassan, as well as NCCTI’s Patient Care Technician instructor Dr. Maha Koltowski, before coming on board which helped the transition go smoothly. He began teaching CMA students in December.

Sorial stresses the importance of students getting a certification instead of working jobs without room for growth.

“It is very good that we get people certified so they can have a real career,” he said. “It will open a lot of doors for work or for other education.”

Sorial feels comfortable at NCCTI and is happy to work with his colleagues and students.

“It’s a very nice place with very nice people,” he said. “I like this environment.”

Both instructors started working at NCCTI in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has made some changes to instruction. Students and staff members are required to wear face coverings and maintain social distancing. Because of class size, Sorial’s students come in person two days per week and he provides assignments for them to complete on the three days they stay home. Sorial said the split schedule can be a challenge, but he and the students are making it work.

Several of Sorial’s students have accepted temporary positions at University Hospital where they administer COVID-19 vaccines at the hospital’s Ambulatory Care Center.

Awich said all the programs at NCCTI help students establish a successful career.

“These types of skills really will set them up for jobs,” he said.

NCCTI is an accredited post-secondary career and technical institution that offers the following programs: Automotive Technician, Diesel Technician, Building Trades Specialist, Clinical Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Community Healthcare Worker, Culinary Arts Specialist and Business and Computer Technologies. NCCTI also operates a comprehensive Financial Opportunity Center and Bridges to Career Opportunities Program sponsored by the local and national Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) offices. For more information, call 973-824-6484, log onto newcommunitytech.edu or visit 274 South Orange Ave., Newark.

Taxpayers with earned income less than $54,000 are eligible for the program. For those who are married and filing a joint return, the combined earned income must be less than $54,000.

Taxpayers filing business income (Schedule C or Schedule E), rental income, 1099B (proceeds from broker and barter exchange transactions such as stocks and bonds) and Puerto Rico or foreign income are not eligible for the program.

See the flyer for the list of items individuals need to bring in order to take advantage of the free tax preparation services.

In addition to free tax prep, the Family Resource Success Center links those seeking assistance with information, referral resources and educational opportunities designed to empower and improve the quality of their lives. The center provides referrals to New Community programs and services, as well as to other agencies in the area.

The center also has many services and referrals available, including financial literacy, benefit screenings, SNAP (food stamps), energy and water assistance, lead abatement, homelessness assistance and prevention, rental assistance, substance abuse services, health care, prescription drug programs, prenatal programs and advocacy, among many others.

The Family Resource Success Center is currently providing benefit screenings, support and resources by phone Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 973-565-9500. The center is located on the first floor of the New Community Health Care Building, 274 South Orange Ave., Newark.

“We both had an amazing experience,” Jessica said. “New Community made me feel like home. They did the same thing for my husband.”

Jessica went to Extended Care about five years ago after having surgery to receive physical therapy to regain the use of her legs. She stayed there less than a month, but during that time, she became involved in the facility, participating in activities and attending church services in the chapel. She also made friends with other residents and still keeps in touch with some of them today.

“The therapy was amazing. The place was really nice and clean and warm and welcoming,” she said. “I didn’t have a bad day while I was there.”

When her husband suffered a minor stroke and needed to be placed in a nursing facility in October, Jessica insisted he go to Extended Care.

Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in-person visits were prohibited for everyone’s safety. Jessica said it was very difficult for her not to be able to physically see her husband since they had never been separated for an extended period. She said the staff at Extended Care knew what she was going through and helped her through, explaining that he would be discharged when he was ready and able to do well at home. To ease the separation, Jessica and Steven used technology to communicate.

“There were a lot of lonely nights, but we were able to comfort each other through FaceTime and pray together,” Jessica said. “He always told me he was comfortable.”

Technology has been essential at Extended Care during the pandemic to keep residents connected to their loved ones.

“These last 10 months have been difficult for our residents. It’s been difficult for residents not to be able to see their family. Using dedicated facility technology to connect on FaceTime with family has allowed our residents to stay in touch during the pandemic,” said New Community Chief Operating Officer Fred Hunter. “Our dedicated staff continues to give their all to serve our wonderful residents.”

Steven spent his birthday and Thanksgiving at Extended Care, but after about eight weeks at the facility, he was discharged and returned home. The couple was happy they were able to spend Christmas together.

“New Community has given me back my life when I needed it, when I felt down and depressed,” Jessica said. “The staff gives you that incentive. They push you. You never feel like you’re forgotten about. It’s amazing.”

New Community CEO Richard Rohrman isn’t surprised by Jessica and Steven’s experiences.

“The staff and management of the facility have a dedication and empathy for the residents that never ceases to amaze me. Their conduct and dedication through the continuing COVID crisis has been inspiring,” he said. “We so appreciate the story that the Johnsons tell and wish them all the best for their health and happiness.”

Extended Care Administrator Veronica Onwunaka said Extended Care is committed to delivering high-quality services to help patients thrive.

“Our goal at New Community is to ensure that we can provide the most effective and best care that will help return our residents back to their pre-illness health to make them effective citizens,” she said. “Ms. Johnson is a typical example of how effective quality care can help the people that we serve and the community at large.”

While Jessica hopes she and her husband don’t have to return in the future, she encourages anyone in need of a skilled nursing facility to use Extended Care.

“Extended Care is an amazing place and if I had to have somebody else go into a facility, I will always recommend it,” she said.

New Community Extended Care Facility, 266 South Orange Ave., Newark, is a 180-bed skilled nursing facility that serves inner city seniors and disabled adults. The facility specializes in offering customized care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. For more information, visit newarknursinghome.org or call 973-624-2020.