Social Emergency Medicine
Social EM is a rising subspecialty of emergency medicine that focuses on how public health issues and barriers to healthcare—such as housing instability, food insecurity, poverty, violence, and systemic injustice—impact patients seeking care in the emergency department.
SIUH’s Social EM initiative was started in 2022 by Dr. Alexandra Over (Class of 2025), Dr. Tyler Nghiem (Class of 2024), and Community Outreach Director, Dr. Elaine Rodriguez. We aim to improve healthcare access for vulnerable patients through clinical education, advocacy, and partnerships with our community.
The Social EM Referral Toolkit
Community Outreach Projects
ED Winter Clothing Drive
In 2022, New York City faced a sudden influx of asylum seekers, prompting emergency measures to expand shelters and social services, including in Staten Island.
The resident class of 2026, led by Dr. Tang, Dr. Alvarez, and Dr. Zabinski, organized a donation drive—delivering carloads of winter clothing to the Staten Island Petrides Family Welcome Center to support over 2,000 refugees.
The 2023 drive collected enough winter clothing, toys, and shoes to donate to both the Staten Island Petrides Family Welcome Center and the Project Hospitality Drop in Center!
Staten Island Special Needs Football League
This past fall, Dr. Caputo collaborated with 9/11 Flag Football to launch a Special Athletes Division. Thanks to SIUH’s sponsorship and volunteer participation, children with special needs received personalized jerseys and were able to to enjoy the weekly games at no cost. This inaugural season included over 20 kids, aged 4-15 years old, and brought together our community with fun competition. We’re looking forward to starting the next season in the Spring!
Junior Pro Program
The Junior Pro program is aimed at fostering early interest in healthcare and science fields through interactive, hands-on sessions. SIUH’s ED providers teach basic emergency medicine topics at schools across Staten Island, including Our Lady of Good Counsel and Port Richmond Highschool.
Join our Resident Advocats
Send Us A Message:
If you’re interested in Social EM or you’d like to contribute to our growing Resource Toolkit, we’d love to hear from you!