Goddard Riverside, Isaacs Center Leaders Honored as Whole Health Heroes

Award highlights leadership of Roderick Jones and Gregory Morris during the pandemic

Roderick Jones and Gregory Morris at the Isaacs Center
A silver and royal blue badge reading 2021 Empire BlueCross BlueShield Whole Health Heroes Honoree

Empire BlueCross BlueShield and Crain’s New York Business have honored Roderick Jones and Gregory J. Morris , executive directors of Goddard Riverside and the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center, as 2021 Whole Health Heroes.

Morris and Jones were listed as a team in recognition of the strategic partnership between the two organizations. The award highlighted the work both have done to support the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During the height of the pandemic, Goddard Riverside provided some 1,000 meals per day to homebound seniors and their supportive housing tenants. Goddard Riverside launched programs to help clients meet emergency needs, including financial and legal counseling,” the award webpage notes.

“Under Morris’ leadership, the Stanley Isaacs Center more than tripled the average number of meals produced monthly, to 6,100. During the first few weeks of ramping up the campaign, the center reached 92% of the 704 clients reporting acute food insecurity because of the pandemic, and it connected the others to nearby providers,” it continues.

The awards went to 25 individuals and teams from numerous high-profile organizations including Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the New York Army National Guard, City Winery, American Museum of Natural History, the National Tennis Center
and Actors’ Equity Association