Posted on October 10, 2016 · Posted in Roosevelt House General News, Tisch Legacy Project News

New York, NY (October 6, 2016) – Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab announced the three recipients of the sixth annual Joan H. Tisch Community Health Prize, citing their contributions to improving quality of life for senior citizens, providing medical care to previously incarcerated individuals as they return to the community, and child advocacy. This year’s prize was presented to two nonprofit organizations and an individual in the New York metropolitan area for outstanding accomplishments in the field of urban public health.

The recipients are Bloomingdale Aging in Place (BAiP), The Bronx Transitions Clinic (BTC), and the Northside Center for Child Development’s Hilde L. Mosse Executive Director and CEO Thelma Dye, Ph.D. They were honored at a reception on Wednesday, October 5, 2016 at The Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College. Special guest Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer delivered remarks during the reception.

“Once again, we have a group of Tisch Prize recipients who have done an extraordinary job of addressing the needs of New Yorkers who are so deserving of dignity when it comes to physical and psychological health,” said Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab. “We at Hunter proudly share their commitment to improving access to the best quality healthcare services, and we remain deeply grateful to the Tisch family for recognizing New York City’s dedicated community health workers and organizations that have gone above and beyond for those who need their help.”

The Joan H. Tisch Community Health Prize honors not-for-profit organizations and individuals for distinguished accomplishment in the field of urban public health. Made possible by support from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, the Prize is part of the Joan H. Tisch Legacy Project, which is based at Hunter College, and is a tribute to Joan H. Tisch in recognition of her humanitarian activism in health care and social services in New York City. The winners each received a prize of $10,000.

“Bloomingdale Aging in Place, the Bronx Transitions Clinic, and Dr. Dye have each honorably provided critical services to New Yorkers in need, and they exemplify the mission of the Illumination Fund,” said Laurie Tisch, President of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund. “On behalf of the Illumination Fund, and my mother Joan’s Legacy Project, we are proud to honor them all, and I know they will continue to serve New Yorkers with their incredible work.”

About the Honorees:

Bloomingdale Aging in Place (BAiP) serves the Upper West Side. Too often in New York, neither familial nor physical infrastructure exists to support the longer lives that many New Yorkers now enjoy. BAiP was founded to help older adults “age in place” by ensuring ongoing community engagement and support.

The Bronx Transitions Clinic (BTC) addresses the disparities at the nexus of criminal justice and community health. The burden of mass incarceration disproportionately falls on low-income urban communities of color, like the South Bronx. Since 2009, BTC has provided an innovative model for primary care to more than 500 Bronx residents as they return to the community after incarceration. Patients are treated regardless of their ability to pay.

Thelma Dye, Ph.D., is the Hilde L. Mosse Executive Director and CEO at the Northside Center for Child Development. Under Dr. Dye’s leadership, Northside serves more than 3,600 children through programs such as Clinics in Schools (CIS), home-based crisis intervention, special needs preventative service, and Project Care (Commitment and Recovery Empowers), a creative arts therapy and enrichment program. Dr. Dye has also served on various child advocacy committees, was appointed by the Board of Regents to the State Board for Psychology, and was recently appointed to the New York City Health Department’s Health & Mental Hygiene Advisory Council.

Selection Committee for the Joan H. Tisch Community Health Prize:

Harold Holzer, (Chair), Jonathan F. Fanton Director, Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, Hunter College; Judith Aponte, Associate Professor, Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing; Lilliam BarriosPaoli, Senior Advisor to President of Hunter College and the Former NYC Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services; Georges Benjamin, Executive Director, American Public Health Association and former Joan H. Tisch Distinguished Fellow in Public Health at Hunter College; Joan Grabe, Chair, Hunter College Foundation Board of Trustees and Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing Advisory Board; David Himmelstein, Professor, Hunter College School of Urban Health; Sue A. Kaplan, Research Associate Professor, Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine; Juan Peña, Associate Professor, Hunter School of Social Work; Dennis Rivera, Public Health Advisor, Hunter College; and Gregory Shufro, Senior Managing Director, Shufro, Rose & Co., LLC

 

Download a PDF of the press release.