The Fund for HHC, the philanthropic arm of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp., recently announced that music producer Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean will serve as the first Global Ambassador for New York City’s public hospitals system.
An internationally recognized and award-winning musical and visual artist, Swizz Beatz will help build awareness and philanthropic support for HHC arts and healing initiatives that help deepen the therapeutic relationship with patients and community health projects. This will strengthen HHC’s ability to provide care and positive life options to underserved populations.
“Swizz Beatz shares HHC’s vision for expanding access to care and improving the quality of health care for all New Yorkers. We are excited to work with such a talented artist and compassionate human being to help advance our vital role as a safety net system and innovative health care leader,” said HHC President Alan D. Aviles.
“Swizz Beatz is committed to using his creativity, his innovation, and his international stature to help spread the HHC message on a global scale to promote better health in our city and our world,” said Joe Schick, executive director of the Fund for HHC.
“As an artist, I understand the important role that art can play as part of the healing process,” Dean said. “In life, it’s important to give back, so I am honored to partner with New York City’s public hospitals in their mission to provide quality health care for all New Yorkers.”
The Fund for HHC will formally present Dean as HHC Global Ambassador at a celebratory event and fundraiser to mark the opening of the new Harlem Hospital Center Mural Pavilion on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. The event will showcase the return to public view of the famed Works Progress Administration’s (WPA) murals, honor the hospital’s past and present heroes, launch HHC’s philanthropic relationship with Swizz Beatz, and raise money to support The Fund for HHC. The evening fundraising event will be held at the Mural Pavilion, which stretches along Lenox Avenue and features a replica of a WPA mural in a spectacular multi-story glass facade.
Swizz Beatz is a Grammy Award-winning record producer, DJ, rapper, painter, apparel designer and philanthropist. Born and raised in the South Bronx, Swizz Beatz has produced for labels like Elektra, Atlantic, Def Jam Recordings, and Bad Boy Entertainment, working with artists such as DMX, Beyonce, Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes. He is also known for his creative design partnership with Reebok. An avid art collector and painter, Swizz Beatz is involved in several philanthropic causes around young people and art. Swizz Beatz and his wife, Alicia Keys, live in New York City.
The Fund for HHC secures external support for a variety of HHC programs and awareness-building efforts. The Fund is a catalyst for innovative approaches to help HHC patients gain improved access to safe, high-quality health care. The Fund works closely with HHC clinical management staff to identify projects that align with HHC’s mission and strategic priorities, and to secure financial support for them.
The Fund’s funding priorities include reducing violence, providing youth development opportunities and raising self-esteem among young men; increasing accessibility to health care for adolescents; fostering the powerful healing alliance between health care and the arts; and expanding access to comprehensive health care for all New Yorkers.