Continuing its commitment to underserved communities, Penn Medicine established the CAREs Foundation Grant Program in January 2012 to support and recognize faculty, student, and/or staff efforts to improve the health of the community and increase volunteerism in community-based programs. These programs have addressed health disparities, provided care to seniors, administered free medical care to homeless in Philadelphia, helped fund medical care for uninsured and underinsured, and more.
Each quarter, the Foundation awards grants of up to $2000 per project to community and hospital-based programs on behalf of the employee(s) or Perelman School of Medicine student(s) who volunteer their time to support the program. The funding is eligible for expenses related to initiatives in community health improvement services, health professions education, subsidized health services, cash and in-kind contributions, or community building activities.
For more information and apply, please visit www.Pennmedicine.org/community and read about the program at the Penn Medicine News blog.
Congratulations to all the CAREs Foundation Grant Recipients for January through March 2012. Five recipients were awarded $1,500 each to help fund the following community outreach initiatives:
The Cut Hypertension Program
Nicholas Kenji Taylor, Medical Student, Perelman School of Medicine
The Cut Hypertension Program, started by the Penn Medicine Student National Medical Association Chapter, addresses the hypertension health disparity through preventative screening and education on healthy lifestyle modification by direct engagement and partnership with the African American community in West Philadelphia's barbershops.
The Heart of the Caregivers in the Community
Phillis Dupree, Nurse, Penn Care at Home
The Beulah Baptist Church in West Philadelphia is open 19 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round to provide care to seniors. The grant money will cover an AED defibrillator, sphygmomanometer (blood pressure cuffs), thermometers, stethoscopes, and wheelchairs and ramps.
University City Hospitality Coalition Clinic
Pandora Chua, Medical Student, Perelman School of Medicine
University City Hospitality Coalition (UCHC) Clinic is a free clinic run by students at the Perelman School of Medicine. The mission is to (a) provide free medical care, education, and referral services to low-income and homeless individuals who attend weekly UCHC dinners at St Agatha-St. James Church, and (b) provide medical training and education to medical students and undergraduates who volunteer at the clinic. The clinic serves West Philadelphia's homeless and underserved population by offering acute and emergency care, hypertension and diabetes screening, flu shots, condom distribution, and social service referrals. Medical students interview and examine patients, and work with the attending physician to determine treatment options.
The Vermase Foundation
Johanne Louis, Geriatric Nurse, HUP
The Vermase Foundation is a Christian, international, non-profit relief organization headquartered in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, that delivers food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to individuals, and families who lack these essentials due to famine, poverty, or natural disaster. They have served - and will continue to serve - as close as The First Haitian Church of God at 6219 Lancaster Avenue and as far as Haiti, after the earthquake.
Sink or Swim Philadelphia
Marion Leary, Center for Resuscitation Science, SOM
In 2010, nearly 50 million Americans were uninsured. This number does not take into account those who were underinsured. Working-age adults constitute more than 85 percent of Pennsylvania's uninsured. There is a severe gap in health care coverage for people who need the most medical care, at the most desperate times. Sink or Swim Philadelphia was created specifically to help fill that gap. Their mission is to assist uninsured or underinsured people in Philadelphia, and the surrounding counties, by paying for necessary medical expenses through social networking and web-donations.
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