Our Story
Coordinated through Vickie and Jack and Farber Institute for Neuroscience and in partnership between Thomas Jefferson University (Jefferson) and Temple Health (Temple), The Frazier Family Coalition for Stroke Education and Prevention was launched in May 2020. Frazier Family Coalition’s purpose is to improve the lives of the residents of North Philadelphia through a multifaceted program targeting a reduction in the number of strokes, helping residents receive quality healthcare that is comprehensive, culturally competent, and connected with a wide array of health and wellness services throughout the area.
There is a clear and urgent need for more community-driven strategies in stroke prevention and care, particularly for African-American communities in the city. Due to a range of factors—including accessibility to providers, unmanaged chronic disease, and lack of awareness of risk factors—the rate of stroke is highest among our disadvantaged African-American community members.
Giving Back to the Community
Frazier Family Coalition for Stroke Education and Prevention was endowed through a generous gift from Andréa and Kenneth Frazier (pictured below). Andrea and Kenneth Frazier’s gift has brought two major health systems together for an innovative opportunity to educate and provide resources to this underserved community. A successful businessperson, and former chairman of the board and CEO of Merck & Co, Mr. Frazier was born and raised in North Philadelphia. Mr. Frazier views this coalition as an opportunity to demonstrate what it really means to give back to the community. His wife, Mrs. Frazier, is an interior designer who has also taught international law as an adjunct professor. Andréa Frazier is a stroke and cancer survivor.
Coalition Partners
Temple and Jefferson share a vision to provide the highest quality patient care and research, while also working to meet the needs of the underserved in Philadelphia. The Frazier Family Coalition will leverage the combined strengths of each institution to bridge the divide between the community and the clinic, delivering targeted solutions for underserved populations who have suffered or are at risk of a stroke.
This unique partnership between two of the state’s premier universities and health systems will present a statewide and national model for coordinated and enhanced access, quality, and clinical experience for patients throughout the community, especially vulnerable neighborhoods in North Philadelphia.
The Coalition provides the framework for Temple and Jefferson to work in tandem, empowering both institutions to serve the most people and do the most good.
Home of Frazier Family Coalition
The North Philadelphia home for the Frazier Family Coalition was made possible by major support from the Chair of the Frazier Advisory Committee, Mark Nicoletti, and his sisters Donna Ferrier and Lori Peruto. Mark Nicoletti is President and Co-CEO of Philadelphia Suburban Development Corporation (PSDC). Founded by his father in 1962, PSDC is one of the largest family-owned and operated commercial real estate development companies in the region. Beyond his contributions to the family business, Mark gives back to multiple non-profit organizations in the region, including joining his family to establish the Jefferson Nicoletti Kidney Transplant Center and the Beatrice Nicoletti Hypertension Prevention and Wellness Action Initiative.