As you are aware,
Jennifer Jaff passed away in September of 2012. As the founder of Advocacy for Patients with Chronic Illness, Inc., she left behind not just an agency that she created and nurtured, but a set of
ideals and practices that have become the very foundation on which the agency rests. What I have learned about Jennifer is that
her life was truly dedicated to helping others in a way that generated not only
a fierce loyalty but an incredible network of individuals who helped support
the very work she spent her all too short life devoted to doing. The types of accolades I hear about her where
things like:
“She was a
super hero for my son, he truly felt like giving up in school until she came
into his life.”
“Jennifer was
always available and even if there was nothing she could do legally she
listened and that truly made a difference.”
“If it wasn't
for Jennifer helping me with my insurance appeal I would not have the dignity
and quality of life I have now, I can never forget her.”
“What can you
say about a total stranger who takes the time to listen, help and truly really
care about someone they never met? Is saint too strong? Is hero inappropriate? I don’t know but she was both to me!”
These and so
many more wonderful things were said about Jennifer by everyone I meet who knew
her or who were in some way touched by her zeal for advocating. What an incredible legacy to leave behind,
what a life truly well lived and how powerful a statement that you were someone's
hero!
It is unfortunate
that I never had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer Jaff. However, I am sure if I had, I would be
another of the multitude of individuals who were loyal and dedicated to her vision
and mission at Advocacy for Patients. Instead, I have been tasked with the Herculean mission of continuing her
legacy, and, in very real terms, of helping those who are truly vulnerable in
our society – the chronically ill who often suffer in silence and expect little
in terms of understanding from others.
By
now you must be asking yourself: Who is this person? So let me tell you a little about
myself. I, like Jennifer, have spent
most of my adult life advocating for those less fortunate or those who simply
have a harder time for one reason or another. I have come to Advocacy with 27 years of experience in social services
and management, dedicating many years to working with disadvantaged people as a
professional in social services and health care, as well as the law. In the late 1980’s, I left a successful
career working at a mutual fund company on Wall Street to begin my career in
social services, working for several New York City agencies dealing with concerns such as homelessness and literacy. I had decided that this was truly my life's work – helping those in
need. As a result, I decided to pursue a
Master’s Degree in Education and Rehabilitation Counseling and entered the
health care field, focusing on the mentally and physically disabled. As Administrator on Duty at Jacobi Medical
Center, as well as Director of Rehabilitation at North Central Bronx Hospital
Center, I gained extensive experience in hospital management and patient
advocacy. A growing desire to advocate
for disadvantaged people led me to attend law school, and I obtained my J.D.
degree from the City University of New York School of Law, whose motto spoke to
me completely: Law in the Service of Human Needs.
Upon
graduating from law school, I served as a Prosecutor for the Bronx District
Attorney's Office for over three years. While
there, I worked in the Domestic Violence and Sex Crimes Unit, prosecuting cases
and advocating for the rights of victims. I continued my work with poor and indigent individuals as a legal services
professional with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV), where I handled a
diverse caseload of domestic violence, custody, housing and disability matters. While at LSHV, I became the Deputy Director
and program-wide Domestic Violence Coordinator. In addition to my legal representation of clients, I was responsible for
developing a training and evaluation program for staff attorneys and other
stakeholders within the domestic violence prevention and legal field. In 2007, I went to work at the New York State
Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, an Executive level agency on
policy, among other functions. At OPDV, I
was the Director of Public Policy and Administration. While there, I was responsible for the
development and implementation of statewide training of law enforcement, the
judiciary, advocacy agencies and other stakeholders. With my team, I successfully wrote a million
dollar grant to develop a one of a kind, online, web-based training for police
officers in domestic violence case handling. In addition, I wrote policy for the State of New York in the areas of
officer-involved domestic violence, probation, parole and victim advocacy
agencies. In my role as the Director of
Administration, I was responsible for successfully steering the agency through
the recent fiscal crisis.
What does
this all say, other than I obviously wanted to help others? It means I hold in my heart the same passion and
dedication that Jennifer Jaff had for helping others and championing those in need. It says that, in hiring me, the Board of Directors at Advocacy thought
that I could and would keep the agency and Jennifer’s legacy alive and fully
operational. I am so honored to walk in
the footsteps of someone so well respected and so highly thought of. I will do everything within my means to keep
her memory, legacy, and mission alive and well, and I invite you all to please
help us do the same in any way you know how: refer clients, spread the word
that we are here to help, and, where possible, please donate, as we count on
your support to make this all happen.
Eileen F. Swan, Executive Director
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