CVS Caremark All Kids Can and Cedars-Sinai Partner to Bring COACH for Kids and their Families® Mobile Medical Clinic to Four Additional Los Angeles Schools
Grant ensures more vulnerable children in Los Angeles have access to free quality healthcare services
(3BL Media) Los Angeles, CA - May 17, 2012 - CVS Caremark, through its All Kids Can program, today announced a partnership with Cedars-Sinai to expand the medical center's COACH for Kids and their Families® program to provide health services to more vulnerable children in South Los Angeles who otherwise would not have access to health services, including immunizations and dental screenings.
Supported by a $50,000 grant through its CVS CaremarkAll Kids Can program, which is committed to helping children of all abilities to be the best that they can be, the COACH for Kids mobile clinic will expand free healthcare services to four additional public schools in South Los Angeles.
"CVS Caremark All Kids Can is committed to supporting programs like the COACH for Kids Mobile Clinic that help thousands of children and families on their path to better health," said
Eileen Howard Boone, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications & Community Relations for CVS Caremark. "We are proud to partner with Cedars-Sinai to help expand the COACH for Kids Mobile Clinic program in Los Angeles and provide access to quality medical services to more children."
Cedars-Sinai's mobile medical and case management program provides continuity of care to thousands of underserved children in Los Angeles each year.
To celebrate the partnership with COACH for Kids, CVS Caremark and Cedars-Sinai will host a community-wide family health fair on Saturday, May 19, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Gilbert W. Lindsay Recreation Center. The celebration, which will bring together CVS/pharmacy pharmacists and volunteers, representatives from Cedars-Sinai, the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, children of all abilities and families in the community, will honor the expansion of the COACH for Kids Mobile Clinic. The event will feature free medical services, such as immunizations and dental screenings, as well as fun activities for the whole family. CVS/pharmacy pharmacists will be on-hand to review medications and answer questions related to prescriptions and other services.
"At Cedars-Sinai, we are passionate about providing quality healthcare to all, including those most vulnerable in underserved communities of Los Angeles. With two mobile medical units, COACH for Kids plays a vital role by providing expert care for low-income and medically underserved children and their families at schools, shelters, and community centers," said
Michele Rigsby Pauley, Program Director, COACH for Kids, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. "Thanks to generous support from CVS Caremark COACH for Kids will expand the number of public schools we serve and ensure that more children have access to free regular and quality healthcare services."
COACH for Kids provides medical, case management and mental health services, along with oral health, nutrition and fitness education including primary care services such as immunizations, screenings and laboratory tests, prescription medications, and referrals to specialists. Staffed by Cedars-Sinai professionals, the COACH healthcare team travels in two, fully equipped, 38-foot mobile medical units to see patients. Each unit is equipped with two private examination rooms, a nurse's station, lap top computers, state-of-the-art records technology, medical and lab supplies and medications for acute illnesses.
About CVS Caremark All Kids Can
CVS Caremark All Kids Can, a program of the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust and CVS Caremark, is committed to supporting children with disabilities. The goals of All Kids Can are to: support children with disabilities by raising awareness in schools and in local communities about the importance of inclusion; create greater opportunities for physical activity and play; and provide access to medical rehabilitation. CVS Caremark and its more than 200,000 employees seek to help children with disabilities learn, play and succeed through partnerships with leading local and national nonprofit organizations such as VSA and others across the country. http://www.cvscaremarkallkidscan.com/.
About Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Meeting the health needs of the wider community has been an integral part of Cedars-Sinai's mission for more than 100 years. In 2011, the medical center contributed $600 million to Community Benefit programs and services crucial to the community, such as COACH for Kids, which provides access to healthcare to vulnerable populations in Los Angeles. Internationally renowned for quality patient care, leading-edge research and medical education, Cedars-Sinai is one of the largest nonprofit academic medical centers in the Western United States. For more information visit http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Community-Benefit/.
Contact:
Joanne Dwyer
(401) 770-2898
jdwyer@cvs.com
Joyce Huyett Turner
(626) 253-2814
Joyce.turner@cshs.org
Nicole White
(310) 423-5215
Nicole.white@cshs.org