Hearts for the Homeless International (H4H) began as an idea between three biomedical sciences students–Andrew Aboujaoude, Jennifer Carvel, Alexis Ghersi–at the University of Central Florida (UCF). They noticed that the homeless population is among the most vulnerable to cardiac diseases for a variety of factors, including lack of access to healthcare and information.

 

In order to address this concern, they collaborated on a plan of action for a new program and were invited to attend the 2016 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) to participate in the Social Venture Challenge. The competition is designed to identify and support youth with innovative solutions for pressing global challenges.

 

H4H was selected as the Social Venture winner and was provided generous seed funding by The Resolution Project. Through this initial boost, H4H Orlando began providing free heart health screenings and information to the homeless populations of Orlando at local food shares.

 

By partnering with food shares and free healthcare clinics in the area, H4H hopes to help reduce the prevalence of hypertension and cardiac disease in the homeless community. This initiative also aims to promote community awareness by creating much-needed volunteer opportunities for university students. As of the Fall 2016 semester, H4H Orlando has been a Registered Student Organization at UCF. Today, it is one of over 40 chapters in the United States of America alone.

 

H4H strives to increase our impact on the homeless community by expanding our reach across new universities, locations, and clinics. Our operations currently span the following countries: The US, Brazil, India, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Jordan, Lebanon, and Hungary. No matter where we are, our organization's focus remains on heart health screening and education among homeless communities in need.