Our Programs
Emergency Housing
Our Emergency Housing program allows us to cover the cost of temporary lodging for families who must travel to receive lifesaving care. Every one of the patients we assist is in the throes of a medical crisis, and the majority of the hospitals we work with require them to live within 60 miles of the hospital for four to six weeks after being discharged. Families must commit to the costs of relocation before they’re approved for treatment, and those that can’t afford it must choose between temporary homelessness and end of life care. The stakes are exceptionally high for recipients of our Emergency Housing funds, and we’re proud to say we’ve stood in the gap for more than 225 patients, providing funding that made them eligible for life saving care.
Short Term Financial Assistance
We’re available to meet a number of additional needs for patients in dire financial situations. We gift gas cards, pay utility bills, connect clients with resources in their hometown for further assistance, and more. We also provide emotional support throughout the course of their treatment with weekly check ins and hospital visits as requested.
Papa Joe's Plates
Through Papa Joe’s Plates, we provide delicious, heart-healthy meals free of charge to families experiencing heart failure. Additionally, we provide the tools to transition the entire family to a heart healthy diet. On the heart failure road, so many things seem out of our control but what we eat is totally our choice and defines in a big way how we feel. This program and it’s accompanying app tackle food insecurity head-on while also empowering families to make a healthy shift that can impact generations.
Papa Joe’s Plates provides three to five days of pre-made, flash frozen meals for an advanced heart failure patient’s entire family and the ability to access more food when they return to the hospital for clinic appointments. While hospitals provide meals for patients during treatment, caregivers must source their own, often relying on expensive and unhealthy hospital cafeteria food for months at a time. To combat the stress this puts on families already in crisis, Papa Joe’s Plates also gives caregivers staying in the hospital alongside a patient access to free, delicious, heart healthy meals.

Holiday Outreach
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If you've ever spent a holiday in the hospital, you know just how dismal it can be. The vast majority of VAD and heart transplant patients live an hour or more away from where they're being treated, adding a layer of complication to an already difficult situation. One of the primary objectives of The Joe Beretta Foundation is to come alongside patients and families in these difficult moments and remind them that they're not alone or forgotten. We provide gifts and/or meals for all inpatient families on...
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Easter
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Valentine’s Day
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Mother’s Day
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Father’s Day
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Thanksgiving
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All celebrations observed during the holiday season​
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If your company would like to partner with us to sponsor holiday gifts, contact our Development Director here, if you'd like to purchase a gift for patients from our Amazon Wish List, click here.
Hospital visitation team
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We launched our hospital visitation team in an effort to provide support to patients walking through the difficult journey of in-patient treatment. We serve as a resource, meet small practical needs and offer conversation that isn’t medically driven but rather focuses on how they’re doing as a person. When you’re in the middle of a crisis, there’s something so special about having someone listen compassionately and stand in your corner. Our team does just that and more! For more information about joining our Hospital Visitation Team, contact our Program Manager here.
Patient & Caregiver Support
Our goal is to ensure that both patients and caregivers are supported, seen, and empowered every step of the way. Heart failure is overwhelming—especially when you’re far from home, isolated, and unsure of what comes next. Above and beyond the structured, wraparound support we provide through our programs, our Program Manager also works hard to provide a listening ear and connect patients with other assistance.
We often refer to caregivers as the “invisible patient” because their needs—emotional, physical, and financial—are just as real yet are largely disregarded. We’re developing programs that speak directly to caregivers, including a caregiver support group and a caregiver support podcast. We’re excited to provide additional resources, insights and encouragement for unseen caregivers carrying the weight of a loved ones illness.