2025 | In Camden and Atlantic City, health care systems are treating housing as a public health issue
Health care systems in South Jersey are rewriting the rules of care delivery and expanding theirfocus beyond traditional medicine into housing and community services. As more patients show up without a consistent place to live, AtlantiCare and Cooper UniversityHealth Care are responding not only with treatment, but with housing to support them.
“Housing and health are deeply interconnected. Poor housing conditions, such as mold,asbestos, and lead paint, can lead to chronic health issues,” said Samantha Kiley, president ofAtlantic City Midtown CDC and vice president of Community Health and Social Impact,AtlantiCare. “The stress of not knowing where you’re going to live, or if you’ll be able to keep yourhome, affects mental health and emotional well-being and when people are forced to choosebetween paying for housing or paying for food, medications, or transportation, their healthsuffers. We don’t always talk about it this way, but stable housing contributes to social health,too.”