Press Release 9/29/14
PERTH AMBOY- Ramiro Espino, Dominican Republic’s Secretary of State, met with Dr. Alan Goldsmith, President and Founder of the Jewish Renaissance Family of Organizations, as follow-up to previous talks on future collaborations from their meeting in April 2014. The roundtable colloquy was on the construction for a community health center in Samana, Dominican Republic. Accompanied by Ms. Lilliam Banner, Consultant of the Council for Dominican Communities Abroad in New Jersey, the parties examined the preliminary partnership of CONDEX, a public institution that Mr. Espino currently serves as Vice President and the Jewish Renaissance Foundation, and how the entities would work together in the plan and design of a two story health center in Samana. The Jewish Renaissance’s federally qualified health center (FQHC) in Perth Amboy, New Jersey would serve as the evidence based model for the new facility.
The donated land of the proposed construction project is estimated to be 15,000 -20,000 sq. ft. facility and solely geared for outpatient care, and dentistry all in preventative services. The visit also included robust discussion on the overall design of the facility that would serve as archetype for health centers in the Dominican Republic and beyond. The Jewish Renaissance Foundation and the Jewish Renaissance Medical Center has had meaningful and considerable experience in overseas operations that include Cuba, Hungary, Israel, Jamaica and the Ukraine. Its most recent is the creation of the Jewish Renaissance School of Tabarre, a medical center and school to 100 students just outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. With the JRMC’s experience and expertise operating as the largest FQHC’s in New Jersey, the partnership would offer CONDEX great insight and direction to ensure network of care is available to medically underserved areas of the country and provide greater access to primary and preventive services for the entire family rather than an emergency room.
The meeting concluded with clear next steps in revisions to the existing drawings as well as operational details to serve as an addendum to enhance the new plans.
