On the Eve of 160
On the verge of The Floating Hospital’s 160th anniversary, external and internal changes that have occurred this year have been as reinvigorating as they have been challenging. Even after some uncertainty at the beginning of the year, the entire organization has emerged stronger to continue to expand services to our patients and withstand any bumps along the way.
Our most recent and exciting news is that The Floating Hospital has been selected as one of 80 Action for Women’s Health awardees worldwide. More than 4,000 global organizations from 119 countries applied. After being vetted on an international scale, we were recognized as a relief agency having real impact for women across geographies, life stages, and identities. The award is meant to expand women’s health solutions, and to push them further than we could on our own. Being part of this select group demonstrates that our services, tools and necessities improve both women’s health and their lives.
Action for Women’s Health was launched last year to support organizations working to improve women’s mental and physical health around the world. The organization is funded by Pivotal, a group of impact organizations founded by Melinda French Gates, and managed by Lever for Change, an organization tasked with identifying bold ideas to solve the world’s most pressing problems.
We are thrilled and grateful for the grant, which will provide stability to organizations like ours who work in the basic needs space and are vulnerable to changes in government policy, funding trends and expanded need.
But we felt seen in other ways in 2025, such as formal recognition of our staff and work through the Neighborhood Builders Grant from Bank of America, news coverage of our relief efforts here and the many people who give in ways big and small to help our patients in times of crisis and let them know that someone cares.
While we say a melancholy farewell to longtime Vice President of Communications and Marketing Barbara LaPlaca, who will retire at the end of the year (see related article), we have welcomed two new leaders who will be pivotal to our security and profile going forward. Kevin Douglas joined us in June as director of philanthropy. He will assume the role of vice president of philanthropy after Barbara leaves. Matt Barba, a tenured marketing professional and an alumnus of our hospital board, will join us on staff in December and will direct our marketing and communications efforts beginning in January.
In other good news, Camp Rise Up had its most successful year yet, with a group of more than 100 teens at the main sleep-away camp and capacity groups for SOAR, our first-year camp curriculum conducted entirely in Spanish, and Journey, a new program for patients aged 10 to 11 years old. Journey and SOAR are held in July as day camps in the clinic’s classroom for morning lessons, with activities around the city—such as a ninja course, flying trapeze, and trips to the beach—to look forward to in the afternoon.
The Journey campers tackled topics such as self-esteem and identity; communication, bullying, healthy living and puberty. The classes they attended over three days prepared them for the first year of CRU, which lasts five days and takes place in Rhinebeck, New York. There, they balance classes with outdoor activities such as swimming, hiking, zip-lining, fishing, games and campfires. Generous donors outfit the campers with clothing, gear, hygiene products, notebooks, pens and much more. SOAR campers will be ready for year-two classes at CRU once their proficiency in English can ensure their safety there.
In addition to the constant stream of activities and food demonstrations devised by the Health Education department, there were plenty of other signs of activity around the clinic in 2025. Our waiting room screens came online to offer patients engaging and informative content and announcements. A donation of 300 plush Paddington Bears, courtesy of the Langham-New York, Fifth Avenue Hotel, lit up many young patients’ faces when told they could take one home with them.
Joan Brancaccio, our hospital board president, added to books already placed around the clinic with donations she amassed for the purpose. During her retirement from her career in the financial sector, she is also organizing readings and bringing free books to the shelters where our satellite clinics are located, in addition to others. She now heads our group of indispensable volunteers who help us with special events such as Candy Cane Lane and Women’s Wellness Day. They also prepare our campers for their week of adventure, among many other crucial roles.
Last year’s annual appeal, which ended in January, was an unqualified success, and contributed to a 27% increase overall in individual donations from 2023. This year’s gala was another resounding success, with MC Monica Morales, a six-time Emmy award-winning journalist and WPIX-11 News host, and auctioneer Harry Santa-Olalla leading the festivities. An exceptionally moving and inspiring video presentation about the lives of our patients, and how they have improved with our assistance, was the centerpiece. Our second year as a charity partner of the TCS New York City Marathon helped boost revenue and raised awareness of our organization and its work treating families experiencing homelessness and poverty in the city.
The Hospital was also featured in news coverage, such as PIX-11’s profile of the women living in Montrose, Pennsylvania who make clothes for our young patients and for Candy Cane Lane. Earlier in the year, Spectrum News/NY1 aired a long feature story about our work and partnership with Soles4Souls, which donates shoes for our patients in temporary housing.
HBA’s Women in Healthcare Giveback Affinity Group, which has supplied volunteers and other support to us over many years, brought their leadership expertise to The Floating Hospital again this year. The Women’s Leadership Workshop Series was so popular with our managers and directors last year, that they asked them to cover more topics of interest and relevance this year. The goal of the series is to leave our leaders with a better understanding of themselves, their teams and the other sectors of the hospital, as well as how they can function more cohesively to improve performance and advance our mission.
Finally, as medical providers, we continue to raise awareness about the resurgence of diseases such as measles and tuberculosis in our communities, as well as their prevention and treatment. We are also closely monitoring for potential issues with our patients.
With as much as we have accomplished, there is still more to do. And we could not have done it all, nor hope to do it in the future, without a dedicated staff and the backing—financial and otherwise—of our many supporters. We wish you all good health and happiness in the year to come.
In gratitude,
Sean T. Granahan Esq.,
President and General Counsel
We give thanks to the following private foundations for helping us meet the needs of New York City families living with homelessness in 2025:
Action for Women’s Health, funded by Pivotal
4imprint
New York Health Foundation
New York-Presbyterian
NYU School of Global Public Health
Frances L. & Edwin L. Cummings Memorial Fund
John and Martha Wolf Fund
UNFCU Foundation
The Hyde and Watson Foundation
Ira W. DeCamp Foundation
Sompo Foundation
Anonymous donor
Bank of America Charitable Foundation
Loukomi Make a Difference Foundation