TD Charitable Foundation Gift Will Support Delivery of Critical Health Services for Children and Families in Vermont
Vermont Business Magazine The TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, recently donated $25,000 to the Pediatric New American Program at The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital as part of the Foundation’s commitment to giving back to the community.
The TD Charitable Foundation donation will provide the Pediatric New American Program with essential funding for a new community-embedded clinic, the Building Strong Families (BSF) Clinic, that partners with a local parent-child center that offers childcare and support groups for new parents.
The BSF Clinic was established to reduce health disparities within the immigrant and refugee communities and provide a more culturally responsive, local clinic in which fellow members of the community – specially trained Family Strengthening Workers (FSWs) – support the families holistically. The BSF model and FSWs help bridge the gaps among patients, families and providers, elevate the quality of health care for immigrant children, engage the community and better address the needs of parents.
The Pediatric New American Program’s clinics provide health exams, holistic services, and other developmental support to children in immigrant families, including newly arrived refugees, serving more than 500 families in Chittenden County.
"With the support of TD Charitable Foundation, we will be able to improve the health and well-being of immigrant children and parents through the increased on-site education, resource connection and after-visit supports given by our Family Strengthening Workers,” said Andrea Green, MD, director of the clinic. “TD Bank supports our mission to provide health equity for children in immigrant families.”
"The University of Vermont Children's Hospital does amazing work providing critical health services to children not just in Vermont, but across New England," said Sheryl McQuade, Regional President Northern New England at TD Bank. "We know we have a responsibility to improve the lives of those in the communities we serve, and we are proud to support the Pediatric New American Program deliver critical health services to some of our most vulnerable families so that their children can live healthy lives."
This contribution supports TD’s longstanding commitment to community enrichment through TD’s corporate citizenship platform, The TD Ready Commitment. The TD Ready Commitment actively promotes inclusivity, economic vitality, environmental wellbeing and health, enabling people of all backgrounds to succeed in a rapidly changing world. As part of The Ready Commitment, TD targets $750 million in total by 2030 toward community giving in four critical areas: financial security, a more vibrant planet, connected communities and better health. Through this platform, TD aspires to create a more inclusive tomorrow — helping people of all backgrounds feel more confident, not just about their finances, but about their ability to achieve their goals.
About the Pediatric New American Program:
Founded in 2005, the Pediatric New American Program (PNAP) was created and embedded at the Vermont Children’s Hospital’s Primary Care office in Burlington, Vermont. The Pediatric New American Program provides medical care to newly arrived refugees upon arrival in the US and until they chose to leave the clinic or turn 21. PNAP provides domestic health exams, permanent resident or Green Card medical exams, care for sick children and well check-ups. The clinic coordinates care conferences for immigrant children with special health care needs to ensure good communication with all care providers in a child’s life including school, medical, community and social services. Every year, the PNAP plans the Safety Festival to ensure immigrant families have knowledge of and access to child safety information and equipment.
The clinics also provide supports for parental well-being recognizing the trauma many parents have experienced as a result of persecution overseas and challenges of resettlement locally. Finally, the Pediatric New American Program educates our greater community about immigrant health to build a network of service providers throughout the county and country who are culturally humble and practice with cultural safety.
About the TD Charitable Foundation:
The TD Charitable Foundation is the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, one of the 10 largest commercial banking organizations in the United States. Since its inception in 2002, the Foundation has distributed over $200 million and more than 19,400 grants through donations to local nonprofits from Maine to Florida. More information on the TD Charitable Foundation, including the online grant application, is available at TDBank.com.
Source: BURLINGTON, Vt. – The University of Vermont Medical Center. UVMHealth.org/MedCenter