Funding from Robin Hood and the Coach Foundation will support the program
Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine have created the Family Resiliency Program to provide counseling and, in some cases, financial support to New York City and lower Hudson Valley families who have lost a loved one to COVID-19.
With funding from Robin Hood and Tapestry Inc.’s Coach Foundation, eligible families must be referred to the program by a doctor, nurse, social worker, or other clinician and then screened by Montefiore staff to receive $2,000 of financial support for food, shelter, utilities or child care.
Families eligible for a referral must meet the following criteria:
- Have lost a loved one to COVID-19 who was an income earner or caregiver in a household. This includes the death of a household member who provided childcare or an adult whose paycheck covered family bills.
- Have a child or young adult under age 26 in the household.
- Live in New York City or lower Hudson Valley.
- Are struggling to pay basic expenses such as housing, food, utilities or child care.
Hundreds of families in New York City and the lower Hudson Valley will benefit from the $700,000 fund.
All families referred to the program, including those that do not meet the criteria to qualify for cash assistance, will be given the opportunity to work with a social worker to identify additional appropriate benefits through other federal and state programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
“Montefiore’s work does not just take place in doctors’ offices and hospitals; our mission is to help our communities, like the Bronx, that experienced the wrath of COVID-19, which exacerbated decades of health inequities and economic challenges,” said Anna Flattau, M.D., associate professor and vice chair for Clinical Services, Department of Family and Social Medicine, at Montefiore and Einstein. “This program will provide temporary assistance to alleviate the immediate financial concerns that families coping with tremendous trauma and grief are facing, while they apply for other benefits and programs.”
“The doctors and social workers at Montefiore are committed to finding innovative ways to help patients and their families who face extreme challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Adam Sirois, director of Institutional Giving, at Montefiore. “We’re grateful to have partners like Robin Hood and the Coach Foundation who helped us move swiftly to support families at a time of personal loss and financial anxiety.”
If you’re a medical professional looking to refer a family to the program, please email familyresiliencefund@montefiore.org. To donate or become a partner, please visit https://www.montefiore.org/family-social-medicine.
SOURCE: Montefiore Health System