Programs
The Mount Sinai Auxiliary Board has provided seed funding to support the creation and implementation of more than 200 new and innovative projects and programs, many of which have been integrated into The Mount Sinai Hospital and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Funding emphasizes social service programs and education for staff and patients in the hospital and the community. Currently funded programs include:
- Paws & Play: This animal-assisted therapy program brings professionally trained facility dogs into the care team to help patients and families cope with hospitalization and medical procedures. Working alongside clinicians in Mount Sinai’s Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department, the dogs help reduce anxiety, support coping, and promote emotional wellbeing. The program also supports staff, faculty, and trainees in adult care settings, helping address stress and burnout. In 2017, The Auxiliary Board funded the second facility dog, Amos, helping expand the program's reach. In 2026, the Auxiliary Board once again funded the care of two more facility dogs, supporting existing services and expanding support for pediatric patients and families before procedures and during anesthesia induction, times often marked by heightened anxiety. Paws & Play was featured on ABC News; watch the video here.
- The Medical Spanish Program at Mount Sinai: This program aims to improve communication between intensive care clinicians and Spanish-speaking patients by offering a 20-week live Zoom language course. Targeting staff across the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (PCICU), and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the program seeks to enhance clinician language proficiency, strengthen patient-provider connections, and improve patient satisfaction—ultimately reducing health care disparities.
- Icahn School Student-Led Programs: The Icahn School offers several impactful educational programs that provide a strong return on investment by expanding access to science and medicine for students from underserved backgrounds.
- MedDOCs engages high school students through hands-on lessons and a summer internship experience led by medical students and physicians, reaching hundreds of participants across specialties including pulmonology, neurology, and cardiology.
- First Generation Scholars offers weekly mentorship for local students who are the first in their families to attend college, supporting their academic and personal growth.
- MedStart introduces middle school students to medical science through interactive, experiential learning. Together, these programs reach hundreds of students annually, fostering early exposure to health care careers and demonstrating meaningful outcomes with relatively low cost.
- Woman to Woman Wig Program: Launched in May 2025 and designed to help women cope with the emotional and physical challenges of hair loss caused by gynecological cancer treatments, the goal of this program is to restore under-resourced gynecologic cancer patients’ dignity, boost their confidence, and minimize the stress associated with chemotherapy-induced alopecia by giving them access to high-quality, customized wigs. The Woman to Woman Program was founded to support women facing gynecological cancer. Over time, it has become a comprehensive support system for patients offering emotional, financial, and educational care, along with a supportive community.
Programs We Have Funded
The Mount Sinai Auxiliary Board has provided seed funding to support the creation and implementation of more than 200 new and innovative projects and programs, many of which have been integrated into The Mount Sinai Hospital and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Funding emphasizes social service programs and education for staff and patients in the hospital and the community. Below are some of the projects funded over the past 35 years:
- Cinema Vision Goggles: Cinema Vision Goggle use for pediatric outpatients with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital elevates the standard of care and creates a safe and anesthesia-free alternative for video distraction during MRI, which limits risk, makes more efficient use of scanner time, and reduces cost.
- Kidzone TV: KidZone TV is a state-of-the-art interactive production and internal broadcast studio within Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital. It produces live programming three times a day, seven days a week for pediatric patients and families, and broadcasts programs throughout Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital on a dedicated channel. It became particularly important during the early stages of COVID-19 when pediatric patients could not receive visitors. Funding was threatened in 2020 and the Auxiliary Board stepped in to fund an essential Child Life Specialist position without whom all the technology resources for patients would have been greatly reduced or discontinued. This position insured the continuity of KidZone TV’s programming.
- The Parenting Center Video: A parenting education and discharge video was created and is presented to all new parents during their inpatient stay and upon discharge.
- Adolescent Health Center Programs: This center delivers comprehensive, integrated, confidential medical and mental health services and prevention education to young people ages 10 to 26. It serves approximately 12,000 patients per year. Services include primary health care; dental care; counseling; mental health services; family therapy; sexual and reproductive health; and nutrition, fitness, and wellness. All programs and services are provided at no cost to patients.
- The Partnership for Excellence in Social Work Practice (2016): This Simulation Learning program in the Department of Social Work Services at The Mount Sinai Hospital program provides state-of-the-art education to social workers. Professional actors are trained to portray patients with specific conditions and situations. They work with two facilitators in small group sessions, allowing the social workers to interact with the patient/family being portrayed by the actors. Facilitators then provide feedback to the social workers. The simulation aims to become a model for health care social work and to transform social work education and practice.
- Mount Sinai Human Rights Program: This program seeks to advance health, dignity, and justice, both locally and globally, by providing pro bono, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive medical assessments, mental health evaluations, and access to social services and continuity medical care to U.S. asylum seekers who are survivors of torture and human rights abuses. The program also aims to inspire and educate health care professionals, students, and the broader community about the protection and advocacy of health and human rights. The Auxiliary Board provided seed funding for patient transportation, supplies, food, and clothing.
- East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP): A student-run, physician-supervised health clinic that provides confidential, free health services, including primary and specialty care to uninsured and underinsured patients from East Harlem. Included are social work services, mental health counseling, women’s preventive health, nutrition, and legal aid. The Patient Assistance Fund at EHHOP was instituted in 2016.
- Woman to Woman: Founded by a member of the Auxiliary Board, this program provides emotional, educational, financial, and practical support to women with gynecologic cancer. It includes peer mentoring programs as well as support groups and has become a model for programs nationwide.
- Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention (SAVI) Program: This crisis intervention program for survivors of rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence provides immediate assistance and support in hospital emergency rooms throughout New York City. Discreet follow-up counseling and information is available for survivors, their families, and friends. SAVI trains volunteers to serve as patient advocates. When a survivor is admitted to the hospital, volunteers meet the patient, offering support and assistance.
- Linkage House: A housing program for older adults providing safe and affordable housing in a complex in East Harlem, Linkage House connects residents with health care, community programs, and educational and recreational activities. The Auxiliary Board provided the initial funding for an onsite social worker.
- Mount Sinai Parenting Center Website: The website provides information and videos for parents of children from newborn to 5 years old. Topics include typical physical and emotional growth and how parents can help and support their children in developmentally appropriate ways.
- Teen Parenting, Education, and Prevention Programs: These programs are geared to teen moms, their children, and their support networks. Programs intended for young mothers include a Summer Employment Program and Opportunities for Careers in Allied Health. Other programs, including information about birth control, are aimed at young fathers or the sisters of the young moms.
- Palliative Care: Mount Sinai’s palliative care program was founded by an Auxiliary Board member and was one of the first in the country. Palliative care is a comprehensive, team-based medical specialty that focuses on managing symptoms; providing physical, psychosocial, spiritual, and emotional support; assisting with social services; and discussing the condition and treatment options. The program works with the patient, family, and doctors to help improve quality of life, and provides an added layer of support to seriously ill patients, their families, and their health care providers.
- Resource Entitlement and Advocacy Program (REAP): REAP helps reduce unnecessary admissions and emergency room visits by providing a centralized source of information, advocacy, and assistance in obtaining government benefits and entitlements. REAP connects patients to community and legal resources and assists patients in navigating the health care system. REAP staff work directly with patients and their families and provide expert consultation and ongoing education to social workers, physicians, and other staff.