Coming Together Around COVID-19 Research in New Jersey

In the midst of the devastation and disruption of a global pandemic, faculty and staff across the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research have found new ways to come together and continue our important work. 

The Institute is committed to ensuring New Jersey communities have access to up-to-date information and reliable facts. With the first approved vaccines now available and clinical trials continuing to advance around the world, the Institute is partnering with community organizations and groups to present educational programs and have important conversations about COVID-19 vaccines and research. For more information, contact community@ifh.rutgers.edu. 

Alternate COVID-19 Testing

Order 4 free rapid COVID-19 tests shipped to your home: https://special.usps.com/testkits

Search for a testing site in your area: https://covid19.nj.gov/pages/testing#test-sites

New Brunswick Area COVID-19 Testing Locations (as updated 2/15/22)

Drive Thru Testing a Walgreens

20 Jersey Ave, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Contact: (732) 846-9360

Hours: 9am-5pm

• *Appointment only
• Offers multiple types of testing
• Free without insurance
• Website offers instructions in Spanish
• More info: Instructions: 1.) Complete a quick questionnaire. 2.) Choose a location and time for your COVID-19 test (based on the type of test you want). 3.) Go to the testing location and remain in your vehicle with the window rolled up. 4.) Show your confirmation email, a valid state ID or driver’s license, and insurance card or voucher. 5.) Perform the nasal swab yourself under the direction of a pharmacy team member. Patients ages 3-18 will need a parent or legal guardian while they self-administer the COVID-19 test. 6.) Get results from PWNHealth.

New Brunswick College Ave Community Church

100 College Ave, New Brunswick, NJ 08901.

Contact: (973) 346-9134

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Highland Park High School

330 Wayne St, Highland Park, NJ 08904

Contact: (973) 346-9142

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Highland Park Community Center

Housing Authority Community Room (side entrance), located at 7 Van Dyke Ave, New Brunswick, NJ 08901.

Contact: (973) 346-9128

Hours: Timings vary anywhere from 8am- 6pm

• *Appointments only: Must fill out link – https://testnj.online/
• Results take three days to come back.
• More info: There is no cost to you for this test and it is open to everyone. If you have medical insurance, it fully covers the cost with no co-pay. If you don’t have insurance, the CARES ACT covers testing with your Social Security Number. You may receive a statement from your insurance company – an explanation of Benefits (EOB) – but it is not a bill and there is nothing to pay even if a balance is indicated. All information is confidential under HIPAA guidelines. For questions about this test event, you may email support@caregps.health.

Better Life Pharmacy – New Brunswick

121 French St New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Contact: (732) 448-9444

Hours: 9am-6pm

• *Appointment only – book here: https://www.solvhealth.com/book-online/0e1Yvr
• Offers rapid and PCR tests
• Free without insurance after signing attestation to not having insurance
• More info: Accula Rapid covid-19 PCR test, result in 30 minutes. or Abbott and Carestart rapid covid-19 test are covered by many, but not all, of the insurance plans that we currently accept, including Medicare. Unless otherwise medically necessary, patients insured will be required to pay a 130$ for Rapid PCR or $65 for Rapid Antigen upfront fee to obtain the Test. If you are uninsured, upon signing an attestation, the federal government’s HRSA program will cover your cost for the outside lab PCR test and the result comes in 2-3 days.

Our Work during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Early in the pandemic, the Institute launched #IFHTranslates, a Twitter campaign that provides daily translations of official New Jersey COVID-19 updates in nine languages, including Spanish, Hindi, Urdu, Tagalog and Korean. Translations are completed by IFH research assistants and volunteers, and are shared on Twitter accounts with language-specific hashtags. The Institute also partners with the TV Asia network to provide updates for daily newscasts in Hindi and Gujarati.

Use the menu to the right to find more COVID-19 resources and information, or contact us at community@ifh.rutgers.edu.  

In spring 2020, the Institute’s Centers and Cores quickly transitioned to telecommuting with video meetings, and responded to the urgent need to understand and address COVID-19 concerns and challenges in the community and health care services. Among the numerous projects currently planned or underway at the Institute and its Centers are: 

• The Center for Health Services Research is studying the intersecting COVID-19 and opioid epidemics. Among other topics, its work is examining the risks and outcomes for COVID-19 infection in individuals with substance use disorders, as well as the considerable changes taking place in treatment processes and recovery residences.
• The iPHD project has a new priority, “Supporting New Jersey’s Response to the COVID-19 and other public health emergencies.” The Center for State Health Policy will convene a subcommittee to integrate the new priority into the project.
• Faculty in the Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science are working on several projects related to COVID-19. Dr. Dan Horton is involved in the Rutgers COVID-19 Cohort Study, the nation’s largest prospective study of healthcare workers, as well as a number of related trials. Dr. Soko Setoguchi is leading NJACTS’s effort to create a comprehensive and longitudinal COVID-19 data repository from health records for clinical research.
• Dr. XinQi Dong was a co-lead investigator for Rutgers University’s clinical trial site for the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine. He is also leading a study related to impacts of social distancing and isolation during COVID-19 on older adults.