The Foundation for Ellis Medicine: Ambassador Spotlight #6!

In his first year of advocacy as an Ascienzo Family Foundation ambassador, Damon Allen worked with The Foundation for Ellis Medicine, during the fall grant cycle. The Foundation for Ellis Medicine is a nonprofit organization that “ensures a quality healthcare community by raising, investing and distributing funds that support the lifesaving work performed at Ellis Medicine.” Ellis Hospital is a community hospital in Schenectady, NY that serves thousands of community members who have limited or no health insurance. COVID-19 crisis altered many hospital functions, including making visitation hours for families very difficult. As a result, patients were suffering from the added burden of social isolation. The Foundation for Ellis Medicine will use $5,000 from the Ascienzo Family Foundation to expand the number of iPads available per floor to facilitate communication between patients and their family members. As the Foundation describes, the extra tablets have “the potential to benefit hundreds of patients per week and thousands per year.” The video chat possible through the tablets is particularly valuable to patients whose medical conditions make them unable to make phone calls or speak, and patients who do not have their own smartphone or tablet. As Damon explained in his application, “Communication with family members can be the most comforting thing we as healthcare providers can give to a patient.”