June 7, 2021 –   Over the winter of 2020, Bound Brook and South Bound Brook experienced a rise COVID-19 cases. Knowing that the Latino population was disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 in the first wave, and the community’s hesitancy to obtain COVID-19 vaccines, the…

January 7, 2021 – A program has launched in Bound Brook to help immigrant families facing hardships to become more successful in the community. “Families for Success” works with Somerset County agencies, nonprofits, faith communities, and schools to combine the key elements of education,…

October 16, 2020 – As kids enjoy the pleasant weather, bike safety needs to be a priority. New Jersey state law requires all children under age 17 to wear a bike helmet while riding. During the summer, Bound Brook Police Chief Vito Bet noticed…

April 27, 2020 – At our coalition’s grant leadership team meeting on March 23, 2020, the planned agenda included a discussion of options for using remaining grant funds to help promote a Culture of Health in Bound Brook and South Bound Brook. During the…

April 3, 2020 – In February 2020, we held a community conversation in South Bound Brook, one of the towns our “Building Bridges to Better Health” initiative serves. We took the opportunity to share updates about our work in the town. More importantly, we…

December 4, 2019 – The Building Bridges to Better Health leadership team identified the integration of health considerations into local decision-making as a priority in our Blueprint for Action. Focusing on social determinants of health through policy decisions has led to positive outcomes in…

October 18, 2019 – ​Access to fresh produce, and training on how to prepare it were identified as key needs in our initial community assessments. South Bound Brook is small, with no grocery stores, other than convenience stores, on the town’s main street. Bound…

October 7, 2019 – Earlier this year, the new community garden in Bound Brook was dedicated. The garden committee, headed by former Councilmember Bev Pranzatelli, was happy to share their accomplishment with the town leadership. It took about a year of preparation to get…

March 6, 2019 – While February was Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, this information is useful year-round. One out of three teenagers will experience physical, sexual, emotional, or verbal abuse from a dating partner before graduation. The good news is that abuse is completely…

December 27, 2018 – One of the priorities from our Blueprint for Action is to expand school-based health programming. We have made great progress on this goal, led by Maria Strada from Middle Earth. The focus is on Bound Brook High School, whose student…

October 22, 2018 – Over the past two years, we have learned several lessons about building a Culture of Health in Bound Brook and South Bound Brook. One important lesson is that it takes time to engage the community and implement the Blueprint for…

July 16, 2018 – Transportation was identified as a key theme in the Blueprint for Action for Bound Brook and South Bound Brook. As discussed in an earlier blog post, we worked with graduate students at Rutgers’ Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and…

January 25, 2018 – In response to concerns voiced by the Bound Brook and South Bound Brook communities in early focus groups, Healthier Somerset’s Building Bridges to Better Health-Bound Brook and South Bound Brook (BBBH) leadership has launched a new transportation initiative referred to…

December 13, 2017 – After identifying farms willing to donate produce to a local food bank, Healthier Somerset recently formed a collaboration with Duke Farms and the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office to deliver fresh produce to the Bound Brook Salvation Army Food Pantry. Through…

September 4, 2017 – Healthier Somerset’s Building Bridges to Better Health – Bound Brook and South Bound Brook Initiative (BBBI) leadership team gathered community leaders this Spring to share community findings, gather ideas for strategies for action, and engage support and participation in moving…

February 23, 2017 – Healthier Somerset’s Bound Brooks Initiative (BBI) seeks to make Bound Brook and South Bound Brook healthier communities. After the initiative launched in November, the BBI Leadership Team, consisting of American Lung Association of New Jersey; Family and Community Health Sciences…

January 23, 2017 – Healthier Somerset’s Bound Brooks Initiative (BBI) seeks to make Bound Brook and South Bound Brook healthy communities. To engage the communities and gather resident input, the BBI Leadership team — American Lung Association of New Jersey; Family and Community Health…