$200k Donation to Support St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center’s Expansion of Services for the Queens and AAPI Communities

A $200,000 philanthropic donation from TD Bank will help St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center® (Roslyn, NY) further expand its services into  Queens, and help patients of the Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) communities with their medical needs.
 
In 2011, St. Francis opened the Cardiac Intervention Group (CIG) Clinic in Fresh Meadows, Queens. This clinic provides unrivaled quality in interventional cardiac procedures and coronary imaging, with one of the highest volumes of cardiac catheterization in the nation. Additionally, this clinic works to address the need for better access to healthcare in the predominantly Korean and Chinese communities of eastern Queens. 
 
“Through the generosity of TD Bank and their donation, we can address the non-medical challenges that have been identified through the community outreach efforts of Kathleen Kim, Director of Queens Outreach,” said CIG Clinic Interventional Cardiologist Chong Park, MD. “Her deep ties to community-based organizations have pinpointed the needs and gaps in patient experience for many Korean and Chinese immigrants that prevent them from receiving the care that they deserve.” 
 
This donation will help provide free bus transportation for patients to and from appointments and treatments at the CIG Clinic and St. Francis Hospital, as well as a healthcare navigator that speaks Mandarin or Korean to aid in scheduling appointments, signing up for Medicaid, and making sure patients receive their prescription from their local pharmacy. It will also include translation services so patients can receive their medical care instructions in their first language and charity care for medical services for patients without health insurance. 
 
“We are thrilled to support this expansion of services that will ease some of the burdens felt by patients in our community,” said Head of Healthcare at TD Bank Emmet Conlon. “This fully aligns with the TD Ready Commitment – this is our global initiative to help level the playing field for those who need it most. We fully stand behind the effort to break down barriers to help make healthcare accessible for all.”
 
“We are grateful to TD Bank for their gift that will be used to support so many patients in the Queens area,” said St. Francis Hospital President Charles L. Lucore, MD, MBA. “This will allow us to extend St. Francis’ high quality of care to the AAPI community right in their own backyards.”