The Schwartz Center entered its 25th anniversary year just as the coronavirus entered our communities. Healthcare professionals around the world sprang into action and demonstrated an unmatched commitment to compassionate care during the most physically and emotionally challenging circumstances imaginable.
With 25 years of experience in supporting, educating and training hundreds of thousands of caregivers, we were uniquely positioned to support the healthcare community during this time. Our response to the pandemic included:
We are deeply grateful to the members of our healthcare community for their dedication to compassion in the face of this crisis, and to our loyal donors for enabling us to provide these urgently needed resources.
Looking to the future, we are committed to supporting caregivers during and in the aftermath of this life-altering pandemic and to advancing compassion and equity in healthcare. Our work has never been more important, and the impact of your support has never been more meaningful.
Thank you for joining us in our mission to put compassion at the heart of healthcare.
Matt Herndon, Schwartz Center CEO
Our vision is a world where all who seek and provide healthcare experience compassion.
With 25 years of experience in supporting, educating and training hundreds of thousands of caregivers, we were uniquely positioned to support the healthcare community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
25,340+ caregivers, representing 50 states and 39 countries, viewed our COVID Compassion in Action Webinar Series in 2020
Underscoring the global spread of the pandemic, our programs and resources were utilized by caregivers across the country and around the world.
The public health crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic strained the country’s healthcare system like never before and, as a result, healthcare professionals everywhere have faced unprecedented and unimaginable challenges, selflessly and bravely putting themselves at risk to care for others.
Pamela Mann
"A personal value I hold near and dear to my heart is the value of human interactions. Our time here on Earth is all about connection with each other," says Schwartz Center supporter Pamela Mann. "Especially when individuals are ill and vulnerable, compassion and connection can positively influence the experience for both the receiver and the giver."
"A personal value I hold near and dear to my heart is the value of human interactions. Our time here on Earth is all about connection with each other," says Schwartz Center supporter Pamela Mann. "Especially when individuals are ill and vulnerable, compassion and connection can positively influence the experience for both the receiver and the giver."
Pamela first got to know the Schwartz Center when she attended the Annual Kenneth B. Schwartz Compassionate Healthcare Dinner. Drawn to the organization’s mission, she subsequently joined the staff from 2007 to 2016, and has been a member of the Leadership Council since 2019.
Pamela has long had a passion for humanitarian causes. Upon earning her undergraduate degree in psychology and anthropology, Pamela served in the Peace Corps; after completing her social work degree, she held several roles focused on supporting and strengthening communities, including for Planned Parenthood in Cleveland, as the first executive director at Horizons for Homeless Children, and as director of programs at the Schwartz Center. This experience motivated Pamela to pursue chaplaincy training, divinity school and pastoral clinical education. Today, Pamela supports patients and families as an interfaith chaplain on the Palliative Care Team at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Pamela believes strongly in the mission and the work of the Schwartz Center. Together with her husband, David Baron, who is a primary care physician at Cambridge Health Alliance, they are committed to caring for vulnerable populations. They recently made a generous multiyear commitment to the Marjorie Stanzler Financial Aid Fund, which covers the costs of Schwartz Center programming for organizations that support underserved populations, including community hospitals, Indian Health Services and VAs. Pamela and David are motivated to allow all clinicians to take advantage of Schwartz Center programs wherever they work; support that will ultimately allow them to provide better, more compassionate care.
"Scholarships are a way to address disparities in healthcare. This is a personal interest of ours that has always been at the core of who we are. Our hope is to make a difference in equity and the delivery of healthcare in whatever way we can," says Pamela.
The Schwartz Center is grateful to Pamela, David, and the Mann Family Foundation for their sustained leadership support that makes these programs available to organizations across the country and around the world, focused on compassionate care and communication for caregivers.
Reflecting on her support, Pamela says, "The compelling reason I wanted to work with the Schwartz Center--and now continue on as a donor individually and with the family foundation-- is because good communication and compassionate care are key to good quality healthcare. Like Ken Schwartz said, positive connections with providers can help make the ‘unbearable bearable’. Our hope is that every healthcare provider will have strong communication skills and will know the significance of compassionate care."
If you would like more information about supporting the Marjorie Stanzler Financial Aid Fund or any of our programs, please contact Jody Johnson at jjohnson@theschwartzcenter.org or (978) 382-2583.
Ellen Feldberg Gordon and Michael Gordon
Launched in 2013, the Schwartz Center’s Compassion in Action (CIA) Webinar Series has educated nearly 15,000 healthcare providers and other caregivers in the science and art of compassionate, collaborative care. In 2020, the special COVID-19 CIA Webinar Series reached an additional 25,000+ providers around the world with education and support for their mental and emotional well-being.
All of this has been possible free of charge to participants thanks in part to the generosity of Ellen Feldberg Gordon and her husband, Michael Gordon, of Newport Beach, California.
Launched in 2013, the Schwartz Center’s Compassion in Action (CIA) Webinar Series has educated nearly 15,000 healthcare providers and other caregivers in the science and art of compassionate, collaborative care. In 2020, the special COVID-19 CIA Webinar Series reached an additional 25,000+ providers around the world with education and support for their mental and emotional well-being.
All of this has been possible free of charge to participants thanks in part to the generosity of Ellen Feldberg Gordon and her husband, Michael Gordon, of Newport Beach, California. Ellen and Michael are one of the Schwartz Center’s treasured "Champions of Compassion"—loyal donors who have been helping us to advance compassionate care since our founding in 1995!
Ellen and Michael have been proud to honor the memory of her stepfather and mother, Julian and Eunice Cohen, through their gifts to the Schwartz Center. In 2013, Ellen and Michael were inspired to underwrite the launch of the Compassion in Action Webinar Series, and their support for the program and the organization has been particularly meaningful to them: "The Schwartz Center provides our healthcare workers a forum for the open dialogue and emotional support they so sorely need, particularly at this time of a worldwide pandemic. Our caregivers, as well as patients, deserve the healing resources the Schwartz Center offers."
The Schwartz Center is grateful to all of our donors across the country and around the world who help make our work possible. Ellen and Michael hope that their giving inspires others to learn more about the CIA Webinar Series and be motivated to support it! If you would like more information about this or any of our programs, please contact Lisa Crane at lmcrane@theschwartzcenter.org or 617-643-5490.
Our vision is a world where all who seek and provide healthcare experience compassion.
500+ sites across the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand are Schwartz Center members, with another 200+ sites running our Schwartz Rounds program through our partner in the U.K. and Ireland.
90% of caregivers who attended multiple Schwartz Rounds reported better communication with their co-workers.
86% of caregivers who attended multiple Schwartz Rounds reported feeling more compassionate toward patients and families.
Learn More850+ attendees joined our Virtual Compassion in Action Healthcare Conference
94% of the attendees said the conference updated their knowledge and skills
88% of the attendees believe that the conference will enable them to deliver better care that will improve patient health outcomes
The virtual conference offered 40+ sessions featuring workshops and panel presentations on how to manage the challenges, experiences and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients, healthcare workers, leaders and our healthcare system, as well as content aligned with our original conference themes. Registration is now open for our 2021 Virtual Conference, and we hope you will join us for an inspiring, informative, and interactive experience!
Learn More
This page shares resources and information to help caregivers and healthcare leaders manage the stress and anxiety they are experiencing.
One popular resource was our special webinar series featuring leading practitioners and researchers. You are invited to watch the recorded webinars and sign up for upcoming sessions.
Learn MorePhilanthropy remains the primary source of revenue for the Schwartz Center.
In Fiscal Year 2020, 70% of all spending was directed toward mission-specific programming (the outer circle). Core mission support (fundraising and administration) represents the remainder. This graphic illustrates how each of our programs is built around and relies upon this core support, which helps ensure the growth and impact of our mission. Our program investments for Fiscal Year 2020 resulted in income from operations of $100k.
Looking to the future, we remain committed to supporting caregivers during and in the aftermath of this life-altering pandemic and to advancing equity in healthcare. We will continue to expand our reach to more caregivers and their patients. Our work has never been more important, and the impact of your support has never been more meaningful.
Thank you for joining us in this mission to put compassion at the heart of healthcare.