ABOUT OCEAN HEALTH INITIATIVES
Our Philosophy:
When a patient enters the doors of Ocean Health Initiatives, Inc., we believe that patient should be seen in an efficient and friendly manner by an expert staff of medical care professionals. We also believe that each patient should receive the finest primary and dental care available under one roof. From the bilingual staff which reflects the health center's diverse community, to the on-site social service case management department, late evening and weekend hours and emergency 24-hour phone service, patients know they can count on us for most of their medical needs. The nucleus of OHI's management team, combined with the planning, financial and resource department, allows the health center to deliver the service each patient deserves. Our mission is to empower our patients - from infants to the elderly - with the tools they need to live healthier lives.
Ocean Health Initiatives, Inc. is governed by a 13-member community, volunteer Board of Directors, the majority of who are OHI health center users. The Board helps develop OHI policy and serves as a link between the Ocean County community and OHI senior management team in establishing and evaluating objectives and priorities.
To contact OHI regarding general information, insurance inquiries, patient accounts, appointments, making a difference or career opportunities, please click on the appropriate link below:
For billing inquiries, contact billing@ohinj.org
For appointments, contact appointments@ohinj.org
For donations or volunteer opportunities, contact makeadifference@ohinj.org
For job opportunities, contact careers@ohinj.org
For general information, contact askohi@ohinj.org
History:
Ocean Health Initiatives, Inc. (OHI) is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit Federally-Qualified Health Center (FQHC) community organization that is based in Ocean County, NJ. OHI shares the Bureau of Primary Health Care's mission to increase access to comprehensive primary and preventative health care and to improve the health status of the underserved and vulnerable populations. OHI is committed to serve populations from areas with the greatest need for primary care medical services.
Recognizing the need to offer affordable and accessible health care to this diverse and growing population, in 1996 Kimball Medical Center (KMC) created the Neighborhood Health Center on Second Street in Lakewood. The strains of a large uninsured population, increasing numbers of Medicaid and Medicare patients, and a large population of uncompensated illegal immigrants presenting for care, concurrent with Kimball Medical Center's need being predominantly in the business of acute health care, forced KMC to divest itself of the former Neighborhood Health Center and to encourage the development of OHI, a non-profit 501 (c) 3 corporation and subsequent application for FQHC designation and funding. That application was approved in 2004. This status allows OHI to increase access to care in terms of the number of people to be served and the number of primary care providers to be made available to the population, as well as operate a system of care which increases access to care, expands the scope of health care services in an underserved area, and improves the availability of primary care providers to the target population.
In early 2005, OHI applied for, and received approval to operate a second facility located at 301 Lakehurst Road in Toms River, NJ. OHI is the only FQHC providing primary care services to the underinsured, uninsured and undocumented residents of Ocean County.
At both sites, OHI provides a full range of adult and pediatric primary care services, and provides access to care for all ages (prenatal, pediatric, adolescent, adult, and the elderly) and levels of need. Prenatal and postpartum OBGYN services are provided as well. Other services include dental health, podiatry and mental health. OHI's efforts and plans address all ages and life cycles in order for our patients to improve their quality of life and increase their life expectancy.
