Community

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.

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+

hot meals and groceries provided to combat food insecurity

2,438

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

65,000+

people reached with vaccine education and improved health literacy

300

healthcare workers trained or hired to respond to underserved communities globally

2,867+

underserved students provided with education support and STEM programs

11,500

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 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 Partners

covid-response

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.

Areté Education

Arete Education provided 18 families in temporary housing with $100 weekly stipends, groceries, hotspots and laptops, mentoring and daily attendance support for 8 weeks.

Think!Chinatown

Think!Chinatown completed six winterized outdoor dining structures for Chinatown restaurants and four mural projects which included hiring artists, coordination with business owners, and coordination of volunteers. The buildouts consisted of design & construction of roof & walls, and heating solutions.

Hunts Point Alliance for Children

HPAC provided 96 hours of triage support and 8 hours of workshops for teachers and students, established referral partnership with Urban Health Plan for further counseling needs, and trained 5th grade teachers in the Mood Meter tool. The Mood Meter was used by 377 students at PS 48 and 100% of students and teachers would recommend it saying it "makes my day better" and "breathing helps me calm down".

New York Cares

New York Cares provided 80,000 meals to vulnerable families and isolated seniors, and wellness checks for 8,216 seniors, coordinating grocery delivery, healthcare access, mental health support, and alleviating loneliness through friendly conversations.

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.

Habitat for Humanity New York City

Habitat for Humanity preserved and revitalized 200 units of affordable housing and community centers in New York City housing impacting 1,700+ low-to moderate income, majority BIPOC New Yorkers.

Welcome to Chinatown

Welcome to Chinatown raised over $350,000 to benefit small businesses in Chinatown, supporting over ten individual businesses, including businesses affected by the Mulberry St. fire. Funds were used to revitalize the 88 East Broadway Mall, and to launch the Longevity Fund Acceleration & Incubation Program for new businesses in Chinatown as a response to the findings of their Chinatown Impact Study.

Send Chinatown Love

Send Chinatown Love supported eight Chinatown merchants to respond to food insecurity needs by donating 3,200 hot meals through their Gift-A-Meal campaign.

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.

ACT Care Foundation

“ACT Care Foundation gives many thanks to RTW Foundation for the support they have given our organization to enable us to continue the work we do in our community. Flatbush usually doesn't receive enough resources and RTW's contribution has enabled us to feed thousands of families, provide PPE, supplies and referrals to healthcare access. Their partnership has been a true blessing.”

- Ann Marie Selfridge, Program Director, ACT Care Foundation

African International Collaborative Center

The African International Collaborative Center supported 32 African American nurses and healthcare workers with a culturally-responsive support group, building coping skills & network of support.

Community

Roderick Wong, MD

Sarah Garwood

Community Impact to Date