Dear Penn Medicine Colleagues:

Over the past few weeks, we have seen an incredible spirit of compassion in action. Compassion for our patients and for each other in this challenging time, and relentless action to prepare and prevent the spread of COVID-19. There is no group anywhere in the world more prepared to tackle this challenge than Penn Medicine. Each of you plays a critical role in ensuring we can fulfill our mission to provide the very best care to our patients.

To do that, every member of this team needs to be able to give their best. Our employees can’t do that if they have to worry about managing basic needs for themselves and their families during this challenging time.

A few weeks ago, we announced the creation of the Penn Medicine Employee Assistance Fund– $1 million in emergency grants to support the members of our team who are most in need of help.

Penn Medicine staff, including full-time, part-time, per diem, and those employed through third parties, who are in significant financial distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic can apply for a $500 grant.

The process is simple:

• Start by visiting IRPStart.com
• Select the Penn Medicine Employee Assistance Fund
• Enter code ‘Penn2020’
• Select the fund based on your state of residence
• Complete, sign, and submit the application

For more information visit the Employee Assistance Fund page on the COVID-19 sharepoint site* or email EmployeeAssistanceFund@PennMedicine.upenn.edu.

We are committed to helping you and your families stay safe and whole during this uncertain time. In addition to the Penn Medicine Employee Assistance Fund, we have paid for hotel rooms for clinical staff to stay close to work, coordinated with childcare providers across the region for emergency drop-in childcare services, and overhauled our human resources policies to provide greater flexibility. We are working to find ways for everyone in our workforce to stay on the job as operations shift into new areas during this time. In the coming days, you will hear more about a new workforce redeployment program.

Thank you for everything you are doing – each of you represents the very best of what medicine means to the communities we serve, and we are committed to doing whatever we can to support you.