The Times of Trenton
Bridgewater, NJ, June 30, 2007 — Former Congressman Bob Franks (R-7th District), president of HealthCare Institute of New Jersey (HINJ), reads to children at the Henry J. Austin Health Center in Trenton Tuesday. The center received 1,000 of the 6,000 books to be given by New Jersey’s pharmaceutical and medical technology industries to six Reach Out and Read sites in Trenton.
Throughout the summer, Franks will deliver books to each of the 38 sites in the state. New Jersey’s pharmaceutical and medical technology companies have partnered with the Reach Out and Read literacy program to provide books to low-income infants, toddlers and preschoolers during health check-ups.
Participating doctors distribute new developmentally and culturally appropriate books, beginning with board books for babies and moving on to more complex picture books for preschoolers. HINJ member companies have made a commitment to provide $100,000 per year for three years to support the existing Reach Out and Read sites, expand the program to serve more at-risk children, and establish an infrastructure to help the program grow and sustain itself.