Building Communities, Improving Access: Guardian Society Tea

Philanthropic support is critical to building healthy communities and delivering care directly to underserved neighborhoods, Dr. Mark Weissman of Children’s National told 40 loyal donors at a thank-you tea for the Guardian Society on Oct. 8. Dr. Weissman, vice president of the Diana L. and Stephen A. Goldberg Center for Community Health and the Diane and Norman Bernstein Professor in Community Pediatrics, said, “All children deserve the same access, quality, and experience of care. It is the generous contributions from donors that make it possible for children to receive our care, regardless of their families’ ability to pay.”

Nearly 30 percent of children live in severe poverty in the District of Columbia. Many of them experience serious, lifelong health conditions due to socioeconomic and environmental factors that naturally put them at risk. The Goldberg Center delivers care to some of the most underserved neighborhoods through community-based health centers, hospital-based clinics, and medical mobile vans. Thanks to the generosity of the Goldberg family, the award-winning center is the largest provider of pediatric primary care services in Washington, DC, offering community-focused, culturally competent clinical education, research, and advocacy programs. The Center’s staff aims to build healthy communities by serving as a medical home—an approach to delivering care that puts family at the center of the healthcare system.

Learn more about the Guardian Society.