Equity in Action Summer Internship Program (EASI)
Program Details
The Equity in Action Summer Internship Program (EASI) at Rutgers University is a successor of the Bridging the Gaps (BTG) Program at University of Pennsylvania. In 2024, 15 students from six RBHS schools participated in the RU-EASI program and provided 300 days of service to six community sites.
In 2024, the RU-EASI students:
- Developed pamphlets that provide families and caregivers of children with disabilities advice on adjusting the home environment, descriptions of referrals a physician might make and personal accounts from parents of children with disabilities.
- Created an awareness campaign of the importance of dental care during pregnancy.
- Distributed food, water, hygiene kits, toys and clothes to unhoused elderly people and migrant farm workers and their families.
- Created bilingual health education resources for parents to detect hearing or visual impairments in their children.
- Served a long-term supportive housing community by creating a calendar of events on topics such as self-care, nutrition, physical activity, the appropriate use of urgent care vs the emergency room and a family fun day.
- Increased awareness of a new dental screening clinic for low-income patients.
Project Posters:
- North Jersey Community Research Initiative
- La Casa De Don Pedro
- Global Grace Health Be the Change NJ
- Family Resource Network
- Mission First Housing
- Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey
In 2023, 14 students from six RBHS schools participated in the RU-EASI program and provided 336 days of service to six community sites.
In 2023, the RU-EASI students:
- Developed pamphlets that provide health professionals with information on dismantling barriers to providing effective and equitable healthcare when working with patients with disabilities.
- Served a long term supportive housing community by providing educational and recreational activities to the residents and their children.
- Created health education resources and hosted workshops on common over the counter medications and health issues such as blood pressure.
- Increased access for parents to resources related to pediatric vision, hearing, or growth assessments at a Head Start/ Early Head Start program.
- Served the local community by joining the social service team on rounds to provide outreach on STI testing, Hepatitis C treatment and vaccinations and created outreach materials to reach vulnerable populations.
Project Posters:
- North Jersey Community Research Initiative
- La Casa De Don Pedro
- Global Grace Health Be the Change NJ
- Family Resource Network
- Mission First Housing
- Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey
In 2022, 14 students from six RBHS schools participated in the inaugural RU-EASI program and provided 343 days of service to five community sites.
In 2022, the RU-EASI students:
- Created an online navigation tool that provides individuals with disabilities and their families with the information they need to access and navigate the state’s system of services.
- Developed a vaccine hesitancy program for maternal and child health community workers and parents and families.
- Created an online navigation tool that provides individuals with disabilities and their families with the information they need to access and navigate the state’s system of services. Disability Inclusive Healthcare: A Health Professional’s Guide.
- Served the homeless community by joining the social service team on rounds in the community to provide services and food and created and compiled health education resources for vulnerable populations.
- Crafted workshops and provided individual case management to residents in permanent supportive housing.
- Increased access for parents and childcare centers/providers to resources on how to prevent and address childhood lead poisoning.
Project Posters: