Community impact

Every day, the people of Penn Medicine work alongside community partners to provide compassionate care and live our commitment to service in action. These are their stories.

Food, transport, shelter, and a helpful voice to guide you

For five years, Penn Medicine’s Social Needs Response Team has connected patients to vital support foundational to good health.

Helping Black families to grow and thrive

To reverse a nationwide trend, Penn Medicine is taking bold action to improve maternal health and eliminate racial disparities for Black birthing parents.

Latest articles

Food, transport, shelter, and a helpful voice to guide you

For five years, Penn Medicine’s Social Needs Response Team has connected patients to vital support foundational to good health.

Penn Medicine nurses: ‘We’re Magnet because of what we do’

Penn Medicine’s hospitals are all committed to pursuing one of the nursing profession’s highest honors—and most have achieved it multiple times.

Challenging times clarify what we’re fighting for

The lives, livelihoods, and passions of the people we care for are why we fight, and what serious diseases like cancer cause us to fear we’ll lose.

Hospital honored for food aid, expanded cancer care access

The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania received two awards honoring programs that address food insecurity and expand cancer care access.

Penn’s proud legacy of advancing military medicine

The connections between Penn Medicine’s trauma teams and military medics are long and deep. Recently, these teams reached new milestones and recognition.

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Spotlight on health equity

Care across cultures: Penn Medicine African Health Clinic

Penn Medicine has partnered for two years with the African Family Health Organization to care for an increasing population of individuals from West Africa.

  • Alex Gardner
  • December 6, 2024
Health, greenery, and justice for all

Reversing racial inequities is a full-force effort rooted in research that includes gardens and parks, financial support, and lifting up local community members.

  • Christina Hernandez Sherwood
  • November 11, 2024
Patients with disabilities less likely to feel respect from docs

An analysis also showed that patients with disabilities were less likely to feel their doctors explained things well.

  • March 5, 2025
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Investing in community health

Penn Medicine and Wharton invest for public health impact

Investing in startup businesses is one of the newest ways Penn is answering that call to serve the community’s health needs through the Fund for Health.

  • April 26, 2023
‘We are all Deeply Rooted’

Deeply Rooted is a community partnership that plants trees, greens vacant lots, and funds grassroots programs. The goal: health justice in action.

  • Christina Hernandez Sherwood
  • November 11, 2024
Penn Medicine cheers staff who give back to communities in need

At an emotional event, recipients of Penn Medicine CAREs grants from the past year gathered and learned of a new boost to the program.

  • Carol Berman and Daphne Sashin
  • October 2, 2024

Meet the people connecting with our communities

This hospice volunteer’s visits ‘are more about living’

Penn Medicine Hospice Care volunteer Andy Bader has cultivated rich bonds with patients, some of whom he has visited weekly for several months.

  • Daphne Sashin
  • December 19, 2024
Helping Korean Americans with end-of-life planning is her passion

Korean immigrants face multiple barriers to advance care planning. Eunice Park-Clinton wants to change this.

  • Daphne Sashin
  • December 10, 2024
A champion for period products in PA schools

Penn Medicine employee Kayla Cook’s work to provide free period products to students in Lancaster influenced a policy to help students across the state.

  • Olivia Kimmel
  • November 26, 2024
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Brianna Moore, RN takes woman's blood pressure at a Penn Medicine Cares Nurses' Week event at Malcolm X park

Service in action

Every day, the people of Penn Medicine work alongside our community partners to provide compassionate care and connect people to the resources and tools they need to overcome barriers to better health.

Explore stories of community impact

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