Dear Partners,
We at the Greater Rochester Health Foundation share in our community’s outrage at the brutal treatment of a 9-year-old child by Rochester police officers, and in the call for policy and practice changes needed to create public safety and emergency response systems that meet crises with skilled intervention and compassionate treatment free from discrimination by race or other identities.
We are dismayed as we continue to see the stark reality of systemic racism all around us. Yet we are also inspired by the collective resilience and resistance of people and communities of color leading the fight for racial justice -- and the growing number of white allies committing to interrogating and uprooting racism in themselves and their worlds.
Over the past few months, conferences of the Urban League, the Levine Center to End Hate, and Action for a Better Community have painted an extensive and exacting picture of the social injustices and public health crisis of racism, while illuminating solutions through building antiracist organizational cultures, public policies, and service systems. We extend our gratitude to these organizations and the numerous Black, Indigenous, Latino/x, Asian and other community leaders, educators, and changemakers of color who are showing the way forward in dismantling racism in our community.
We left these conferences more knowledgeable, more determined, and more equipped to do our part in this work. And we heard the message loud and clear: The time for talk (alone) is past. The time for action and accountability is now. Please visit our website to learn more about our organization’s equity journey and commitments.
The public health crisis of racism is also a children’s health crisis, with structural racism the root cause of health and educational inequities affecting Black and Latino/x children. Our work at the intersection of racism and health includes a grantmaking initiative called Healthy and Equitable Futures, with a vision of racial equity in whole child health so that Black and Latino/x children ages 0-8 in Monroe County are safe, supported, and thriving.
Healthy and Equitable Futures recognizes that achieving racial equity in whole child health—physical, cognitive, social, and emotional—will require reimagining systems, investing in community assets, upholding racial equity in our own organization, and sharing power with parents and families as leaders guiding and driving change. Learn more here.
Of course, we recognize that racial inequities in both child and adult health are not confined to Rochester and Monroe County, but pervade our region. Our Racial Health Equity initiative is regional and broader in scope, and we will be sharing more on this new strategy soon.
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Sincerely,
The Greater Rochester Health Foundation Team
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NEW: Select City of Rochester R-Centers are open weekdays for academic support, STEM and fitness opportunities, and meals. Click here for more information.
NEW: ROC The Future (RTF) proudly presents a resource to connect teachers of color with teaching positions in Rochester schools. RTF hosted a tour of the new Teach Rochester website which highlights the abundance of resources available to help prospective candidates explore pathways to earning a teaching certificate and also encourages students to pursue teaching as a profession. Watch a replay of the tour via Facebook or YouTube.
The Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers has compiled information about COVID-19 for patients in multiple languages, both in print and video. Materials are gathered and updated regularly from resources around the world and available for viewing and sharing here.
Monroe County is providing free, rapid COVID tests for residents who are asymptomatic. Click here to find a location and register for testing.
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A massive number of general and clinical volunteers are needed to help with vaccine distribution. Visit the United Way of Greater Rochester's website to find information as they are leading local efforts to recruit and organize the COVID-19 Vaccine Volunteer Force.
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NEW: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is now accepting applications for a unique leadership program dedicated to increasing diversity in senior medical, dental, and nursing faculty. The Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development program offers four-year postdoctoral research awards to physicians, dentists, and nurses from historically marginalized backgrounds who are committed to eliminating health disparities. Scholars receive an annual stipend of up to $75,000 each, complemented by a $30,000 annual grant to support research activities. Learn more here.
Brave of Heart Fund continues to accept applications for grants to support eligible family members of frontline healthcare workers and volunteers who lost their lives to COVID-19 while caring for others. Click here for more information.
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PUBLIC HEALTH MESSAGES TO SHARE
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The mission of the Greater Rochester Health Foundation is to pursue and invest in solutions that build a healthier region where all people can thrive.
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