Grantee Spotlights | March 4, 2021
St. Mary’s Hospital for Children
Supporting Telehealth Services for Low-Income Children with Special Needs
Over the past year, the pandemic has forced health and social services providers across the state to swiftly adapt in ensuring effective care delivery under trying circumstances.
That was certainly true for St. Mary’s Hospital for Children, located in Bayside, Queens. Since 1870, St. Mary’s has provided life saving services to low-income children with special medical needs. Like so many hospitals during the pandemic, St. Mary’s has had to adjust to a new virtual reality by transitioning all non-essential in-person visits to telehealth services for the health and safety of its patients and staff.
We were inspired by the ingenuity of the St. Mary’s team as they continued patient care throughout even the most uncertain months of the past year. For 2021, the Foundation granted $75,0000 to St. Mary’s to support telehealth services for nearly 750 low-income families so they can care for their children with medically complex and life-limiting conditions at home.
Already, this program has seen tremendous success and widespread rollout.
Among the program’s beneficiaries is two-and-a-half year old Christine Pathak who, until recently, had spent her entire life hospitalized. Thanks to the remarkable care of the St. Mary’s team, Christine is now expected to live a long, full life. And with the telehealth services now available to St. Mary’s patients, she will have a smooth transition from hospital to home.
St. Mary’s is an inspiring example of the dedication to helping New Yorkers in need. We share that commitment, and we are proud to support its work.