Newark is one step closer to getting a $50 million wellness center that will serve as a one-stop shop for the community’s health needs.
Local nonprofit Brick Education Network and its partners — including Saint James Health, RWJBarnabas Health, YMCA of Newark, the Victoria Foundation and more — held a groundbreaking ceremony on March 5, for the South Ward Wellness Center at the corner of Clinton Avenue and Bergen Street.
The project aims to address health care inequalities in Newark, which has a higher poverty level than both the state and national average. Newark’s poverty rate is 21.8%, compared to 9.2% statewide and 12.2% nationally, according to census data.
“This is more than a wellness center, it’s the physical embodiment of what our community has demanded and deserves,” said Dominique Lee, CEO of Brick Education Network, in a press release.
“Our children and families guide our work. By listening to their voices, we are increasing access to health care and removing the obstacles that prevent people from living their dreams and building lasting prosperity,” said Lee.
The four-story, 45,000-square-foot facility will bring together fitness, maternal health care, mental health care, primary care and health education all under one roof. It will include:
An 11,000-square-foot branch of the Newark YMCA, equipped with exercise equipment, free weights, personal trainers and fitness programs.
A wing for maternity care and support programs offered by South Ward Healthy Beginnings, an initiative of Brick Education Network and South Ward Neighborhood Promise that works to improve health and education outcomes for pregnant women, new mothers and children.
A 12,000-square-foot Federally Qualified Health Center operated by Saint James Health where individuals and families can go for routine health and wellness checkups, chronic conditions and mental health issues, regardless of their ability to pay.
On-site Community Health Workers and SNAP Navigators provided by RWJ Barnabas Health.
The center’s fourth floor will serve as the headquarters for Brick (Building Resilient Intelligent Creative Kids) Education Network, a Newark-based nonprofit that runs the Brick Gateway Academy, a K-12 tuition-free public charter school. The top floor will also serve as a shared incubator space for other local nonprofits and community-based organizations.
The project is fully funded at $48 million, though an additional $5 million is needed to pay off the mortgage, according to a press release.
Funding for the project came from multiple sources, including partners like RWJ Barnabas Health, which invested $3 million in the wellness center. The center also received nearly $22 million from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s Aspire program, which provides tax credit incentives to developers for certain projects.
The Collingswood-based firm Thriven Design is providing architectural, engineering and interior design services for the project.
The center is slated to open in April 2027.
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