Sarah Prylinski, RN

Clinical Program Manager

Sarah Prylinski is the founder and clinical lead of HHF’s street outreach program. A nurse with more than 20 years of experience, Sarah has worked in emergency departments, acute care, ambulatory services, and nursing leadership giving her a comprehensive understanding of how patients move—or fail to move—through healthcare systems. She brings a rare combination of frontline clinical expertise, leadership, operations savvy, and deep community engagement to an innovative care model for marginalized populations.

Sarah’s approach is grounded in nursing’s holistic philosophy of care. She emphasizes non-judgement, dignity, consistency, and patient partnership, ensuring that clinical decisions reflect each individual’s social, emotional, and environmental context. Her ability to deliver clinical expertise and support with deep compassion has earned her the trust of patients and community partners. Under her leadership, the outreach team has built credibility and earned trust with individuals who had been disconnected from healthcare for decades.

Sarah also “walks the walk.” Within Erie’s nonprofit and service landscape, she is a reliable volunteer. She dedicates her personal time to help ServErie, Harvest 912, and annually works with the City of Erie to conduct the single point in time count. She is a board member with Chosen and Home Team Healthcare.

Her leadership has been recognized through numerous honors, including UPMC’s Award for Commitment and Excellence in Service, the Bethany Outreach Center’s Hearts in Action Award, the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority’s Healthcare Disparities Award, and her recent designation as a Woman Making History by the Mercy Center for Women.

Sarah’s combination of clinical expertise, community trust, and systems-thinking uniquely positions her to advance this innovative model and translate local impact into broader learning. As a result, HHF’s street outreach model is a best-in-class, scalable program to address healthcare disparities and the social drivers of health.