Verona's "Connections at Home" Wins Community Impact Award

PARTNERS FOR HEALTH FOUNDATION PRESENTS CONNECTIONS AT HOME

WITH COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD

Honors Local Nonprofit for Aging in Place

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Partners for Health Foundation awarded 10 Community Impact Awards, and grants totaling $100,000, to recognize nonprofit organizations and individuals making a significant difference in the health and well-being of local communities. The awardees were selected from 65 nominations that cited contributions in areas such as aging in place, hunger, homelessness, chronic disease prevention, oral health, and mental health.

Connections at Home was founded by Thomas McCarrick, MD, Medical Director of Vanguard Medical Group, who accepted the award. Connections at Home transforms seniors’ lives through an unexpected solution: technology. It puts computers, tablets and laptops into patients’ hands to connect them with medical, community and social services. Seniors use them for weekly Skype sessions with social workers, to look at family members’ Facebook pages and, in short, to interact with the world.

“Each of the awardees has an amazing story to tell about what inspired them, what they have been able to accomplish, and what they aspire to achieve. We are honored to partner with them to accomplish even more,” said Pam Scott, Partners for Health Foundation’s executive director. “Their collective stories portray dedicated advocates, volunteers, caregivers, unsung heroes and leaders, along with the tens of thousands of lives they touch.”

The Partners for Health Foundation 2018 Community Impact Awardees are:

• Mario Szuchman, MD, Zufall Health, West Orange – Access to Health
• KinderSmile Foundation, Bloomfield – Oral Health
• Wally Weikert, Family Service League, Montclair – Mental Health
• Mary Rossettini, Clifton Homeless Task Force – Homelessness Prevention
• Connections at Home, Verona – Aging in Place
• Carolyn Lack, Aging in Montclair; Ann Lippel, Montclair Senior Citizens Advisory Committee; and Katie York, Lifelong Montclair –Aging in Place
• YMCA of Montclair – Chronic Disease Prevention (Healthy Eating and Active Living)
• Human Needs Food Pantry, Montclair; and Anne Mernin, Toni’s Kitchen, Montclair – Hunger Prevention
• City Green – Chronic Disease Prevention (Healthy Eating and Active Living)
• Adele Katz, Sister to Sister, Montclair – Youth Resiliency

The Board of Trustees of Partners for Health Foundation also presented its 10 Year Anniversary Founder’s Award to longtime Board member Paul A. Lisovicz of Glen Ridge, who served as a Trustee from 2005-2015 and Board Chair from 2009-2013. The Founder’s Award recognizes an individual whose efforts significantly shaped the Foundation through commitment, innovation, professional expertise, philanthropy and overall leadership.

Partners for Health Foundation fosters collaboration among nonprofits so that, together, they can increase positive health outcomes in the communities they serve. A key focus provides access to healthy food and physical activity as a way to prevent chronic disease. The Foundation also supports the issues of homelessness, aging, mental health, community safety and more. Since 2008, Partners for Health Foundation has awarded more than $12 million through 341 grants to 132 organizations. To learn more, visit www.partnersfdn.org.

Photo Caption:

Partners for Health Foundation Honors Connections at Home at its 10 Year Anniversary Community Impact Awards Event, where the award was accepted by Connections at Home Founder, Thomas McCarrick, MD

From Left to Right: Senior National Correspondent for CBS News and Event Emcee, Jim Axelrod; Thomas McCarrick, MD; Pam Scott, Executive Director, Partners for Health Foundation; Chris Petermann, Chair, Board of Trustees, Partners for Health Foundation

Photo Credit: Neil Grabowsky / Partners for Health Foundation