Community Health

We build partnerships with local organizations to advance health equity in New York City

Roderick Wong, MD

Chairman

One of the hallmarks of our community partnerships is that we go beyond just financial support. Our team truly engages with communities and serves alongside our partners.

Sarah Garwood

Director, Community Engagement

Locally-led development is critical for lasting impact in the community. One thing I love about our work at RTW Foundation is that we really focus our projects on community-led initiatives and shift the power to local leaders. Our partners know the challenges their communities are facing the best, making them best positioned to respond well.

Derek McCracken, MA, MS

Narrative Medicine Educator

CHASI engaged with the narrative health literacy module with both curiosity and an eagerness to try new story-based training techniques. What each person brought to the table individually contributed to collective success.

Anna Allen

Executive Director & Co-Founder, Say Ah!, Inc.

CHASI's Health Literacy Train-the-Trainer program was one of the best we have facilitated. CHASI's trainee staff showed up to each session with enthusiasm, humility, empathy and great insights into the health literacy challenges facing the people they serve. Their ability to work together to learn more about the multifaceted issue of health literacy and to improve their own training skills was inspiring to witness. We would work with them again any day!

100,000+

New Yorkers provided with improved health access through community-based health services, low/no-cost health screenings & resources, appointment transportation, appointment incentives, and other health equity initiatives

177,000+

people received hot meals and groceries provided to combat food insecurity

65,000+

people educated on vaccination, preventative care, coverage options, and improved health literacy

2,438

people across underserved communities provided with culturally responsive mental health support, including 908 frontline healthcare workers

300

healthcare workers trained or hired to respond to underserved communities globally

2,867+

underserved students provided with education support and STEM programs

11,700+

people vaccinated against COVID-19 through support for mobile vaccine services, nurses, community health workers, registration support, and appointment translation

30+

small businesses in Chinatown provided with support to remain open in the face of the pandemic

240

low-income families provided with safe, improved affordable housing

BioQuest

BioQuest is a STEM mentoring program designed to give middle and high school students opportunities to explore diverse careers in science, biotechnology, and medicine.

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Health Equity Grants

At RTW Foundation, we believe that building strong, lasting relationships with our Grant Partners is the cornerstone of meaningful change.

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Days of Action

RTW Foundation and our community health partners are committed to advancing health equity by addressing key social determinants of health in NYC and beyond. One key way we achieve this is through our Days of Action.

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Community Health Partners

Violence Intervention Program

Violence Intervention Program developed a training manual, trained 18 VIP Staff in six new healing modalities, and piloted group therapy sessions with 20 survivors. They also trained counselor advocates, reaching approximately 1,200 survivors annually.

NYU Langone Health

The NYU Langone Health Undiagnosed Diseases Program, provides long-awaited diagnoses for medically complex patients who have gone years without answers after standard clinical evaluations. The team will enroll 25 families in the program this year, providing state-of-the-art genetic and genomic testing for rare disease patients regardless of socioeconomic status. With more detailed diagnostics, the NYU team aims to provide families with a better understanding of their child’s condition and can advise on next steps for treatment or care.

Weill Cornell Medicine

Weill Cornell Medicine conducted a cross-sectional time series analysis of pediatric mental health emergencies across the first three waves of the pandemic. Their research demonstrated increased proportions of pediatric mental health emergency department visits, especially during Wave 2, with the magnitude of the increase being dependent on specific mental health diagnoses and sociodemographic factors. Increases in mental health emergencies were associated with COVID-19 case prevalence, but not with the societal restrictions placed as a result of the pandemic. Findings were presented at two national meetings and will be published in peer-reviewed journals.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Mount Sinai supported their research on the pathophysiology of PACS and have published their findings identifying objective blood biomarkers associated with PACs/Long-COVID and making recommendations for effective intervention protocols in the care of patients with PACS.

Rutgers

Three Rutgers scholars are advancing global health, one scholar completing a four-week international residency in Kampala, Uganda gaining knowledge, perceptions, and curriculum development on sickle cell disease and hydroxyurea treatment. Another scholar completed Cardiac Point of Care Ultrasound training for physicians, nurses, and CHWs in Mampong, Ghana.

Community Health

Roderick Wong, MD

Sarah Garwood

Derek McCracken, MA, MS

Anna Allen

Community Health Impact to Date