Dr. Tushar Patel and Ritesh Shah, two prominent health care leaders and dedicated volunteers of the charitable organizations in New Jersey were recipients of NJBIZ 2022 New Jersey’s Healthcare Heroes in Public Health Hero Awards category in an award ceremony at The Palace at Somerset Park on August 10, 2022. Both Dr. Patel and Mr. Shah have dedicated countless hours of time and resources and provided their expertise in providing education, counseling, awareness and screening of chronic diseases for underprivileged individuals in New Jersey for the past more than two decades via health fairs, seminars, and other educational programs.
Dr. Tushar Patel through his non-profit organization Indian Health Camp of New Jersey – IHCNJ has served thousands of individuals since 1999 to provide health screening and disease prevention education, counseling, and services via annual health fairs for the uninsured and underinsured individuals in New Jersey. To date, under the leadership of Dr. Tushar Patel, President, the organization has provided free health screening services to more than 12,000 uninsured or under-insured and detected more than 3,500 chronic diseases abnormalities, and provided early intervention to reduce long-term complications and save lives. Since March 2020, Dr. Patel helped people in the community by providing COVID-19 education, vaccination and testing along with pandemic talks on social media and TV Channels, especially in the beginning of the pandemic when there was so much misinformation and conflicting information on social media. IHCNJ also received 2018 NJ BIZ Healthcare Heroes Award for the Education Hero – Organization category.
Ritesh Shah, a prominent business entrepreneur and pharmacist through his involvement with Indian Health Camp of New Jersey for the last two decades and recently with his own non-profit Ritesh Shah Charitable Pharmacy – RSCP – first of its kind in the state with a mission to increase access to medications, immunizations, health education and pharmacy services for uninsured and underserved patients in New Jersey to reduce clinical and social health inequalities in the community was also recognized in Public Health Hero category for NJBIZ 2022 Health Care Heroes Award. During the first 100 days of opening of RSCP, more than 585 prescriptions were filled and 95 patients were served including 24 diabetic patients, 59 patients with heart and diabetes medications and 12 patients for their mental health medications. Since the inception of RSCP in May 2022, the pharmacy has provided more than $100,000 worth of medications to needy people in New Jersey communities to start making a difference in better medication access.
