Ossining Open Door COVID-19 Preventative Care Initiative

Many families can't afford to miss work or pay medical bills; therefore, the goal is to provide preventative care to many families in high-risk areas. A fundraiser was started in early March to provide supplies for low-income families in Westchester County to stop the spread of COVID-19. We collected $850 from students at New York Medical College and members of the community. We used those funds to make care packages of soap, alcohol swabs, wipes, and tissues; we also created an informational pamphlet on COVID-19 to help educate the community. These packets were distributed by the staff at Ossining Open Door by April. After initially distributing around 50 of these packets, we still had money remaining for more supplies and more packets were put together. Due to the progress of COVID-19 at this date, we are exploring also donating supplies to the homeless individuals around Westchester County. As of May 1, supplies are en route, and we are working with Ossining Open Door and the Behavioral Science clinic at Westchester Hospital to determine where the greatest need for supplies lies.