Henry Schein awarded The Night Ministry the Gold Henry Schein Cares Medal for excellence in expanding access to health care to underserved populations.
The Night Ministry was honored for its innovative programs that bring free basic health care to its clients, like the Health Outreach Bus, which provides children and adults living in communities throughout Chicago with testing and prevention services, including physical health assessments, treatment for infectious and chronic diseases, prevention education, wound treatment, and referrals to primary medical care and housing.
In addition to the Health Outreach Bus, The Night Ministry deploys its Nurse Practitioners to provide health care services to the young people in its Youth Housing Programs, and operates a Street Medicine Program to reach and provide care for homeless populations who have the most trouble gaining access to health care.
"Since 1976, we have been driven by the belief that every person is important and has value, and that supportive relationships can build dignity, confidence, and a foundation for self-empowerment," said Paul W. Hamann, President & Chief Executive Officer, The Night Ministry. "We are inspired by the work of our fellow medalists and empowered by their efforts to serve people in need in innovative ways. We thank Henry Schein and the Henry Schein Cares Foundation for this recognition, and look forward to continuing our work on behalf of the Chicago community with their support."
An independent panel of judges selected The Night Ministry as this year's gold medalist from a field that also included silver medalist Care 2 Communities (St. Paul, Minnesota) and bronze medalist Community Volunteers in Medicine, Inc., (West Chester, Pennsylvania). Each medalist receives a cash award in the following amounts: $15,000 for gold, $10,000 for silver, and $5,000 for bronze, through the support of the Henry Schein Cares Foundation. In addition to the cash awards, each medalist is receiving $10,000 worth of product from Henry Schein.
Paul spoke with Henry Schein's Vice President of Corporate and Social Responsibility, Jennifer Kim Field, about The Night Ministry's innovative approach to addressing the physical, emotional, and social needs of the people we serve and the unique ways we engage our supporters in our mission. You can watch their conversation below.