Our Mission & History

The mission of Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers(SJFMC) is to provide and promote effective, culturally proficient, high-quality primary, secondary, specialty, preventive, behavioral health and dental care services for residents and migrant seasonal farmworkers in Southern Jersey regardless of their ability to pay and to eliminate barriers to care based upon race, religion, ethnicity, sex,  gender, national origin and residential status. SJFMC will provide this care in a competent, compassionate, and empathetic manner. In 1977, a group of local residents of South Jersey recognized the need for health services to migrant farm workers who traveled throughout New Jersey providing manual labor in local farm camps. Through the efforts of a local physician and several residents, a voluntary, non-profit organization named Sa-lantic Health Services was formed with a voluntary Board of Directors. An application for federal assistance was developed and funded, and comprehensive services to farm workers of Salem and Atlantic Counties began with seven (7) employees. Over the years, Sa-lantic Health Services expanded its migrant outreach program to include Gloucester, Burlington and Camden Counties and later built multiple community health centers to serve communities as a whole in Salem, Atlantic and in 2005, Burlington County. The corporate name was changed to Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers, Inc. in 1992 to better describe the organization and its services for all area residents. Today, SJFMC, a federally qualified health center, is the health care home for residents in five South Jersey counties. With eight service delivery sites in Atlantic, Burlington and Salem Counties, SJFMC has a staff of almost 250 employees, including physicians, nurse mid-levels, nurses, clinical support staff and administrators. Over 53,000 patients are served by SJFMC, generating approximately 161,000 patient visits annually. The growth of the Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers, Inc. has necessitated an expansion of primary care and specialty services based on the needs of the patients. Services include pediatric and well-baby care, adult and internal medicine, women’s health care and family planning, dental services, behavioral health, foot care, care management, community outreach, health education, patient transportation and translation services.  Throughout the years, Southern Jersey has remained committed in its mission and tradition of providing care in a compassionate manner, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. Services are provided to all patients in a sensitive and culturally appropriate manner, regardless of their ability to pay. Uninsured patients are welcome and outreach efforts are designed to reach patients most in need of comprehensive and accessible medical care. Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers (SJFMC) is a Federally Qualified Health Center covered under the Public Health Service (PHS) Act. That means that for purposes of claims of medical negligence, by law, SJFMC, its employees and eligible contractors are considered federal employees and are immune from lawsuits. A patient who alleges acts of medical malpractice against SJFMC, its employees or eligible contractors cannot sue the health center or the provider(s) directly, but instead must file any claim against the United States Government. The federal government assumes responsibility for costs related to any such claim resulting from the performance of health services. There is no cost to a participating health center or its providers. These claims are reviewed and/or litigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the General Counsel and the Department of Justice according to FTCA requirements.