Community September 01, 2008
Community building activities
As a major employer, YNHH plays a role that often means stepping outside the sphere of health care and joining its neighbors to help make an impact in the world around us. We work hard to keep the community safe and prepared for the future, and to provide people with access to opportunities that will help them live happy, successful lives.
- Volunteers see the hospital firsthand — 1,200 YNHH volunteers contribute more than 70,000 hours of service annually. High school and college students apply to join organized volunteer programs that may help them prepare future careers, while adults of all ages and skills work directly with patients or behind the scenes in roles that fit their individual time schedules, abilities and interests.
- Disaster preparedness — The Yale New Haven Health System Office of Emergency Preparedness, also a Connecticut Department of Public Health Center of Excellence for Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response, offers services within New Haven, Connecticut and across the nation that advance planning, preparedness, response for and recovery from emergency events.
- Home rehabilitation grants — Thanks to YNHH’s community benefit agreement with Hill Development Corporation (HDC), several families in the Hill neighborhood have been able to upgrade their homes with new roofs, energy-efficient windows, electrical service and more. The Hospital has provided $300,000 in Hill home rehabilitation grants and transferred two building lots and one home in the Hill to HDC.
- Support for parents and children — YNHCH offers numerous free, voluntary programs for new parents in the area, including several Nurturing Parents programs, the Bright Beginnings Motheread, and Caring Parents Make Healthy Families community outreach program.
- Friend to the environment — Smilow Cancer Hospital is the first in Connecticut to register for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Green Building certification. Meanwhile, the hospital is reducing city traffic with commuter benefits programs for employees to include subsidized mass transit, free shuttle service and ample bike racks. Also, YNHH has spent $2.4 million improving pedestrian safety and traffic flow around the Hospital.
- Building coalitions — Physicians and staff involved in the expansion of YNHH’s transplantation program work closely with several agencies and organizations to increase organ donation. The hospital also participates in other coalitions, such as the Greater New Haven Partnership for Healthy Community, the YNHH Community Council and the Latino Advisory Council.
In the photo: Marna Borgstom (far right) led members of the New Haven Board of Aldermen on a tour of the radiation therapy areas in the new Smilow Cancer Hospital.
