BRUNSWICK, NJ (TIP): Indian Health Camp of New Jersey (IHCNJ) continues to provide support in the communities during the Pandemic.  Legacy Pharmacy Group, Marlboro Medical Arts Pharmacy, NJ State Department of Health and Doc Go in collaboration with IHCNJ, Shree Swaminarayan Temple in South Brunswick and Ved Mandir in Milltown, NJ held two COVID-19 Vaccine Booster drives on December 18, 2021; More than 250 received the vaccination:

Indian Health Camp of New Jersey – IHCNJ, a non-profit organization under tax exempt code 501© (3) organized COVID-19 Booster Vaccine drives at Shree Swaminarayan Temple in South Brunswick and Ved Mandir in Milltown, NJ on December 18, 2021.  More than 250 people received booster dose of Moderna and Pfizer vaccinations offered by Legacy Pharmacy Group – Marlboro Medical Arts Pharmacy, New Jersey State Department of Health and Doc Go in collaboration with local temples in New Jersey and Indian Health Camp of New Jersey.  Both temple management and their volunteers provided their support and services to this worthy cause.  During this unprecedented time of public health crisis due to COVID-19 pandemic which affected millions of Americans and more than 800,000 people succumbed to the illness in the USA.  Indian Health Camp of New Jersey continued to provide their humanitarian and health care services in the community since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020.

Ritesh Shah, owner of four independent pharmacies in Central Jersey and CEO of Legacy Pharmacy Group, a group purchasing organization for independent pharmacies has been practicing pharmacy in New Jersey for more than 20 years. When COVID-19 hit the U.S. in 2020, Mr. Shah and his team began setting up testing stations in their pharmacies and other locations in the communities.   A long-time public health advocate, Shah has relationships with NJ State Health Department officials and lawmakers and spends a good deal of his time educating them about the needs of his patients.  In October 2020, Mr. Shah received a commendation from the Governor of New Jersey, a state Senator and the General Assembly for his efforts in helping educate the public, testing for COVID-19 and helping prevent the spread of the disease.  Indian Health Camp of New Jersey was recognized by Governor Phil Murphy with New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Awards for the 2021 in the Health Care Services Category in recognition of their extraordinary health care services to the community.

IHCNJ has been serving communities by organizing many activities virtually to include online interviews on TV and radio to provided education via articles and social media platforms related to current topics of COVID-19, mental health and other chronic diseases education and awareness as part of their health promotion and disease prevention objectives.  In addition, the organization also donated personal protective equipment such as gloves and masks earlier in 2020 when there was severe shortage and scarcity at the local hospitals in New Jersey.  The donations were graciously accepted by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Somerset and Saint Peter’s Medical Center in New Brunswick.  As part of community outreach and efforts for healthier living, Indian Health Camp of New Jersey also provided free COVID-19 FDA authorized antigen and antibody testing to hundreds of people in collaboration with Hematology & Oncology Care, Helping Hearts Foundation and Durham Pharmacy earlier in 2021.

For additional information about IHCNJ services during the pandemic or any assistance in getting the vaccine or testing, call Dr. Tushar Patel at 848-391-0499, e-mail tpatel434@yahoo.com or visit organization website at www.IHCNJ.org.

(Based on a press release)