A $1 million gift from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation will advance UCLA’s mission to provide high-quality health care for people facing financial hardship and other challenges in access to quality care, as well as providing resources to treat children who are victims of sexual assault and victims of rape.
“We are grateful to the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation for its gift, and its continued support of our efforts,” said Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health, CEO of the UCLA Hospital System, and associate vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences. “Steven and Alexandra’s previous generosity has been vital to our efforts, and this timely gift will make a profound difference in the lives of so many of our patients.”
The gift also will benefit the Rape Treatment Center at UCLA Health - Santa Monica Medical Center, and Stuart House, a program within the center that serves the special needs of children who have been sexually abused. Stuart House provides free comprehensive and compassionate care 24 hours a day, including emergency medical treatment, forensic services, advocacy and trauma-informed child and family therapy. The Cohens’ gift will make it possible for the Rape Treatment Center and Stuart House to serve to a larger geographic area of Los Angeles.
“With the Cohen family’s generous support to benefit at-risk populations and the Rape Treatment Center, UCLA Health can address the care needs of the most vulnerable populations treated at UCLA and continue our long-standing commitment to excellence,” Spisso said.
The gift will specifically benefit the UCLA Health President’s Strategic Fund, which helps provide resources to meet the needs of disadvantaged patients who require complex care, enabling UCLA Health to underwrite medication copayments, family housing during treatment, post-hospitalization recuperative care housing for homeless patients, basic living expenses during emergency situations and extended hospitalizations, and other essential costs.
Patients are routinely referred to UCLA hospitals because of the system’s expertise in complex care and its commitment to serving the community. But complex cases require considerable resources, and for people with limited financial resources, that financial hardship is typically magnified by their hospitalization and the loss of wages because of it.
“Steven and I are humbled to support UCLA and its efforts to provide high-quality medical care for disadvantaged and at-risk populations,” said Alexandra Cohen, president of the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation. “We have always believed that leading by example will inspire others to give within their means and take action to protect the communities in which they live and work. We are committed to supporting our local communities and the challenges many face. In partnering with UCLA Health, we hope to not only help others, but to inspire our communities to give back to Los Angeles in a significant way.”
The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation is committed to inspiring philanthropy and community service — with a special interest in the arts, children’s health, education, veterans and Lyme disease — by creating awareness, offering guidance and leading by example to show the world what giving can do.
The gift is part of the Centennial Campaign for UCLA, which is scheduled to conclude in December 2019, during UCLA’s 100th anniversary year.
