PHILADELPHIA—Each week across the Greater Philadelphia region, patients with dementia meet virtually or in person with their “buddy”—a college student volunteer—as part of the Penn Memory Center’s Weekly Smile Program and its Time Together Program, helping to fill a social interaction need for the elderly that COVID-19 has intensified. At the same time, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the Lancaster Science Factory provides science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) after-school programs at six elementary and middle schools.
Both of these initiatives were supported by Penn Medicine CAREs grants this past quarter, along with an additional 28 programs from Penn Medicine employees. The CAREs Grant program provides institutional support for Penn Medicine employees and medical students who selflessly volunteer their time to serve their communities.
Meg Kalafsky, a program manager with the Penn Memory Center, received a grant to support the Time Together and Weekly Smile programs in Philadelphia. Time Together—previously known as Time Out—is an in person program that not only provides social interaction for those with dementia, but also respite care for the caregivers of adults with memory issues, providing them with a temporary break from caregiving duties. The Weekly Smile initiative, which started during the pandemic, offers virtual respite.
“The overarching goal of these programs is for older adults to have fun and forge connections. But it’s also for caregivers to get a break and respite on a consistent basis. The students also gain learning experiences—the program is truly beneficial to everyone involved,” said Kalafsky. “Thanks to the Penn Medicine CAREs grant, we now also have additional funding to support these vital programs.”
Barbara Pallan, director of Operations, Surgical Specialty, at Lancaster General Health, has been a volunteer and board member with the Lancaster Science Factory for 10 years. Her Penn Medicine CAREs grant provides funding for STEM workshops for after-school programs in the School District of Lancaster. Lancaster Science Factory provides grant-funded and sponsored programs for organizations that cannot afford them. Topics include engineering, chemistry, electricity, robotics, hands-on math, and more.
“The Lancaster Science Factory has become an invaluable resource to the education of youth in our community—it introduces kids, who may not otherwise have the opportunity, to the fun and excitement of science, technology, engineering, and math,” said Pallan. “I am honored to be part of the Lancaster Science Factory and am grateful to Penn Medicine for its support through the CAREs grant program.”
Additional programs supported by Penn Medicine CAREs grants this past quarter include:
- Overdose Prevention Outreach in Malcolm X Park: The Penn Center for Addiction Medicine and Policy (CAMP) outreach team, including Rachel McFadden, BSN, RN, a nurse in the Emergency Department at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, meets with neighbors in Malcolm X Park on Friday evenings in an effort to help prevent overdoses. McFadden received a CAREs grant to provide these community members with backpacks, packaged food, toiletries, and other items.
- Breast Cancer Exercise Support Group: Doris Piccinin, RD, LDN, a registered dietitian with the Abramson Cancer Center and a survivor of breast cancer, along with Tia Gray, PTA, a lymphedema physical therapist with Good Shepard Penn Partners, received a CAREs grant to support the Breast Cancer Exercise Support Group. The initiative started during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to encourage and provide resources for breast cancer survivors to continue their exercise plans, an important part of preventing cancer recurrence. The grant will provide funds for specialized equipment such as post mastectomy bras, which can help patients return to an active lifestyle.
- Reach Out and Read Camden: Cynthia Skotnicki, a cytotechnologist at Penn, has been volunteering with Osborn Family Health Center in Camden, New Jersey, for more than 10 years. The Osborn center is a Reach Out and Read model site, with a goal of making books a routine part of pediatric primary care and to encourage children to grow up with a love of books and reading. Skotnicki’s grant will allow her to purchase English and Spanish books for the center.
- Roxborough High School Academy of Business, Technology, and Entrepreneurship: As volunteer chair of the advisory council for the Roxborough High School Academy of Business, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (BTE), James Riley, director of Fiscal Operations for Cancer Biology at the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, received a CAREs grant to buy materials to support the BTE program. These materials will allow students to enhance their understanding of entrepreneurial concepts, guiding them in the creation of their own business plans as part of a local competition.
Since the Penn Medicine CAREs grant program launched in 2012, it has supported staff, faculty, students, and trainees across the organization in helping their communities—from providing supplies for new mothers to funding efforts to build kids’ literacy. Over the last 10 years, the program has provided more than $880,000 in funding to over 880 service initiatives across the regions Penn Medicine serves.
To view all of the recent CARES Grant recipients, visit PennMedicine.org/CAREs. For more information on the CAREs Grant or community outreach programs, visit PennMedicine.org/Community.
Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
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