Alexandria, VA, July 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics announced that the Sixth Annual Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Award for Health Equity Presented by the NAFC has been awarded to Ilana Steinhauer, Executive Director of the Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires, Great Barrington, MA. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation — the nation’s leading philanthropy on health and health care — developed this award program to find and honor individuals working for systemic change to address health inequities within their communities.
Ilana Steinhauer is not only the Executive Director of the VIM Berkshires but also serves as clinical director and is an active nurse practitioner. The Massachusetts clinic provides care to about 1,300 patients, 80% of whom are minority immigrants, mainly from Latin America. Attention to the social determinants of health is a fully integrated piece of Ilana’s model of healthcare. From ensuring the availability of translators to having patients meet with community health workers to assess needs related to housing, employment, education, childcare, etc., and to make connections to available resources, she is constantly working to address and reduce health disparities.
Being a rural community with a lack of public transportation, Ilana helped create a transportation program to get patients to and from appointments, eliminating a major barrier to care. This program provides almost…
