For Immediate Release:
July 20, 2010
Health clinic in Bayshore area opening July 22
County Health Department expands outreach with Hazlet location
Freeholder Amy A. Mallet, Monmouth County Public Health Coordinator Michael Meddis (center), and Hazlet Mayor Scott Aagre cut the ribbon to open the new Hazlet office of the Monmouth County Health Department.
HAZLET, NJ – The Monmouth County Health Department is gearing up to open a new health services clinic in the Hazlet Township Municipal Building at 1766 Union Ave.
The facility, located in Hazlet’s municipal building, will open at 9 a.m. Thursday, July 22 and will offer free or low-cost regular screenings for cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, BMI (body mass index) and oral cancer, immunizations for adults and children, lead screening for children and Pap tests. Other services may be added based on the needs of Bayshore residents.
After the opening day, the county’s public health nurses and other professionals will staff the regular clinic hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every third Tuesday of the month. The initial dates are Aug. 17, Sept. 21, Oct 19, Nov. 16 and Dec. 21. Pap testing will be provided by appointment on the following dates: Aug. 24, Sept. 28, Oct. 27 and Nov. 17.
Appointments for all services are strongly recommended. To make an appointment, call the Monmouth County Health Department at 732-431-7456.
“Hazlet Township has made valuable space in its municipal building available for county health services,” said Monmouth County Freeholder Amy A. Mallet., liaison to the county’s Health Department. “Our public health professionals will use this clinic to provide health services to many of our Bayshore residents. People who live in Aberdeen, Atlantic Highlands, Hazlet, Matawan and Union Beach now have access to many county health services close to home.”
Individuals living in towns covered by the county’s Health Department are eligible to take advantage of the services at the Hazlet clinic. Member towns are: Aberdeen, Allentown, Asbury Park, Atlantic Highlands, Avon, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Englishtown, Farmingdale, Hazlet, Howell, Lake Como, Manasquan, Marlboro, Matawan, Millstone, Neptune Township, Neptune City, Oceanport, Ocean Grove, Roosevelt and Union Beach.
Hazlet Township joined the county Health Department in 2004 and has made the space vacated by their former health department available to the county for the clinic.
“The county approached us for available space,” Hazlet Mayor Scott Aagre said. “In these times of shared services, this is a great opportunity for Hazlet and the Bayshore area.”
The county Health Department encourages all residents to screen regularly for common health concerns. If your town does not participate in the county Health Department, contact your local health department or town hall for information about low cost or free screenings that may be available to you.
“Residents of our communities can stay healthy by monitoring their health and well-being on a regular basis,” said Michael A. Meddis, the county’s Public Health Coordinator. “The county offers many other services, including a child health home visiting program, healthy traveler program, a lead-based paint abatement program, sexually transmitted disease clinic, tuberculosis clinic and a women’s health program.”
Depending on the health service, the county Health Department provides its various outreach services at the county’s Human Services offices in Freehold and Ocean townships, and at the Neptune Housing Authority.
“The Hazlet clinic represents a terrific step forward in the county’s provision of shared services,” Mallet said. “The space that has bee made available to our public health team also helps the community at-large. It’s a win-win.”
Public health is the science of improving the health of a community through broad-based community health programming. The Monmouth County Health Department works to protect the health and welfare of the residents within the county Board of Health system. It is a full-service health department that provides residents with health education, clinical and preventive health services, environmental and consumer health programs, communicable disease control and public health preparedness.
For more information about the many services provided by the Monmouth County Health Department, log onto the county Web site at visitmonmouth.com or call 732-431-7456.
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