Chapcare, a Pasadena non-profit that supports uninsured patient care and provides healthcare access for low-income families and individuals, is busy organizing its third annual fundraiser, the “Swing fore Health” Golf Tournament, set for Aug. 29, at the 18-hole course at the Glendora Country Club.
The goal of the fundraiser is to activate the community by giving back and paying it forward, said Mauricio Ramos, Marketing and Outreach Director for ChapCare.
“Our golf tournament really is a way to sort of engage folks within the community to give back, and to help us then to keep supporting the fund that we have for those folks who don’t have a means, or are uninsurable,” Ramos said. “So that’s what that is: uninsured patient care.”
As a non-profit, ChapCare provides “comprehensive and innovative healthcare to the San Gabriel Valley community,” as the organization’s mission states.
“Our goal is to make healthcare accessible. So we provide education outreach to the community, providing them with information about the options for healthcare,” Ramos continued. “And for those who can afford it, we also find a way to help them in any way possible. We don’t turn anybody away.”
ChapCare evolved from what was formerly known as the Community Healthcare Alliance of Pasadena, which was established in 1995 and started caring for patients in the communities of the San Gabriel Valley in 1998. For 24 years, ChapCare has been providing quality healthcare to men, women and children of all ages.
In 2013, ChapCare was recognized as a Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH). A PCMH is a team-based model of care led by a physician who provides continuous and coordinated care throughout a patient’s lifetime to maximize health outcomes. Ramos enumerated a number of healthcare programs that ChapCare has been providing to the greater San Gabriel Valley community.
“We do health insurance enrollment. We also do family medicine, pediatric care, women’s health prenatal, postnatal care, podiatry under the specialty services unit,” Ramos said. “We do behavioral health and we also have a community pharmacy that provides affordable medications to patients and the members of the community. That’s the nutshell what we do here at ChapCare. And in addition to that, we also assist the community with public services.”
The range of public services includes transportation assistance, food assistance, and in some cases, shelter assistance.
“We work with the community partners to make sure that we provide that access to those services,” Ramos said.
ChapCare has about 16,000 members, and serves up to a hundred thousand people together on an annual basis. Funding comes through federal, state and local grants, as well as from individuals that have committed to supplement the group’s fundraising efforts.
Sunday’s “Swing fore Health” golf event opens with a welcome program for community members. After the day-long tournament, participants join a formal dinner which usually includes a recognition program for outstanding members and donors.
People who can’t go to the tournament may donate online through www.chapcare.org.
ChapCare has also set up a separate website for the golf tournament. Visit www.chapcaregolf.com for more information.