A New Vision for America's Healthcare
For low-income youth and families, traditional medical care is not sufficient to improve health outcomes. A prescription for antibiotics is not enough when there is no food at home. Poor health further entrenches families in poverty by jeopardizing educational attainment, economic stability, and life opportunities.
Founded in the Boston Medical Center Pediatrics Department in 1996, Project HEALTH works to break this link between poverty and poor health.
Our model is simple and effective: in clinics where we provide services, physicians can "prescribe" food or housing for their patients and their families. Our undergraduate volunteers then connect those families to local resources to meet these needs, enabling them to achieve the stability and opportunity that lead to better health for their children.
Our vision is to mobilize the nation's first corps of student volunteers to connect low-income patients with the resources they need to be healthy and, in doing so, create the next generation of leaders committed to tackling this country's greatest health challenges.
We invite you to join us in this movement.
Annual Campaign: Our Annual Campaign is online for the first time this year. Please support our efforts to mobilize a pipeline of new leaders to change health care!
Kennedy Library Foundation Award: Rebecca Onie is one of two recipients of this year's John F. Kennedy "New Frontier Award", created by the Kennedy Library Foundation and Harvard's Institute of Politics to honor Americans under the age of 40 who are changing their communities and the country with their commitment to public service. The awards are presented annually to two exceptional individuals whose contributions in elective office, community service, or advocacy demonstrate the impact of public service in the spirit of John F. Kennedy.
Project HEALTH in TIME Magazine: Project HEALTH was featured in TIME Magazine's "Power of One" feature on October 23, 2009. This column focuses on a single person and his or her world-changing program, project, concept, or product. We are honored to have this recognition of the importance of our work.
MacArthur Fellowship: Rebecca Onie, J.D., Co-Founder and CEO of Project HEALTH, has been awarded the MacArthur Fellowship, commonly known as the "genius award." The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. Awarded to talented individuals in a variety of fields who have shown exceptional originality in and dedication to their creative pursuits, MacArthur Fellows receive $500,000 grants with no conditions -- recipients may use the money as they see fit. Ms. Onie was selected on the basis of the following criteria: "exceptional creativity, promise for important future advances based on a track record of significant accomplishment, and potential for the fellowship to facilitate subsequent creative work."
In response to the announcement, Ms. Onie stated: "I am deeply honored by the MacArthur Foundation's recognition of Project HEALTH's ongoing work to address patients' unmet resource needs as a standard part of patient care, especially at a time when health care systems reform is at the top of the national agenda." Please see our Press & Recognition page for more information about the Fellowship.
TIME 100 Gala: Project HEALTH was honored to be featured in Michelle Obama's remarks at the TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People gala on May 5, 2009. Please see the White House website for the full text of the First Lady's speech and a description of Project HEALTH's work in the overview of plans for the Obama Administration's Social Innovation Fund. More coverage of Project HEALTH in the news is available on our Press and Recognition page.
New Video! Project HEALTH has a brand-new video showcasing our mission and programs. It features a look into how hospitals, volunteers, alumni and others benefit from our critical services to vulnerable families. We invite you to view it today!
