As healthcare workers at Elmhurst Hospital, we are witnessing the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the community we are lucky to serve. Elmhurst, Queens is the epicenter of the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis in the United States.  We feel so much gratitude for everyone who has donated masks, food, and other materials to help us in the hospital. And yet we feel compelled to direct some of this immense goodwill to the community, who are in many ways also on the frontlines alongside us, and who need you all even more than we do. 

The community surrounding Elmhurst Hospital is disproportionally affected by this healthcare crisis for many reasons:  working essential jobs in grocery stores, food delivery, and transit, crowded housing, and immigration status. Many have lost their lives and livelihoods. We continue to do everything in our power to save the lives of those affected by COVID-19. 

We're fundraising for two organizations in the Elmhurst community:

Make the Road New York  builds the power of Latino and working class communities to achieve dignity and justice through organizing, policy innovation, transformative education, and survival services.

Libertas Center for Human Rights  provides survivors of torture and human rights violations in the New York City area with comprehensive medical, mental health, social and legal services to help them regain function and restore humanity in their lives. They are a program under the Department of Emergency Medicine at Elmhurst Hospital. They are helping clients obtain food and basic necessities during the COVID19 pandemic. 

Check out these articles here for further details on COVID-19's effect on our Elmhurst and Queens communities. 

- From one of the attendings at Elmhurst hospital, Dr. Ben McVane: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/05/opinion/coronavirus-elmhurst-queens.html

- https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/09/nyregion/coronavirus-queens-corona-jackson-heights-elmhurst.html