Care Harbor Served Nearly 4,000 Patients during Four-Day Free Clinic at the Los Angeles Sports Arena

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Care Harbor, in collaboration with LA Care Health Plan, wrapped up its four-day free clinic at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. Supported by Dignity Health, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, The California Endowment and the Los Angeles Sports Arena, the free clinic provided services to nearly 4,000 patients from Sept. 27-30. Thanks to approximately 4,300 professional and general volunteers, patients received free dental exams and cleanings, tooth extractions, vision exams and prescription glasses, mammograms, Pap smears, podiatry consultations and more.

This year, Care Harbor collaborated with more than 100 organizations in the medical, dental and vision Los Angeles community to serve the underserved and underinsured. In addition to the services provided, the Care Harbor/LA clinic connected more than 1,000 patients to medical homes with the support of more than 60 local clinics and medical practices. Representatives were onsite scheduling follow-up appointments and forwarding medical records before patients left the arena.

"We are proud to have brought health and hope to thousands of uninsured and underserved individuals and families in the Los Angeles area," said Don Manelli, president of Care Harbor. "Putting together a free clinic of this magnitude is no simple task, but this is a prime example of what's possible when the public and private communities come together to serve those in need."

Care Harbor/LA by the Numbers

For the third year in a row, Care Harbor implemented an electronic health record system hosted by zPaper that not only assures accurate, HIPAA-compliant patient data, it avoids expensive duplication of tests at follow-up facilities and makes detailed reporting and analysis of clinic results possible.

The below are final statistics for the clinic from Sept. 27-30:

About Care Harbor

Care Harbor brings help and hope to the uninsured and underserved in America's urban centers. The organization works with local community resources and volunteers to produce free clinics providing comprehensive medical, dental, and vision care to individuals and families who are without access to the healthcare they need. There is no cost to the patient for the services provided. Clinics are staffed by professional and general volunteers, and supported by donations – both financial and in-kind – from local and national supporters. To learn more about Care Harbor and this year's clinic, please visit CareHarbor.org, like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/CareHarbor or follow us on Twitter @CareHarbor.

About L.A. Care  

L.A. Care Health Plan (Local Initiative Health Authority of Los Angeles County) is a public entity and community-accountable health plan serving residents of Los Angeles County through a variety of programs including Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, L.A. Care's Healthy Kids, and L.A. Care Health Plan Medicare Advantage HMO SNP.

L.A. Care is a leader in developing new programs through innovative partnerships designed to provide health coverage to vulnerable populations and to support the safety net. With over one million members, L.A. Care is the nation's largest public health plan. For more information, please visit www.lacare.org, like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/LACareHealth or follow us on Twitter @LACareHealth.

SOURCE Care Harbor