Family Health Centers of San Diego and the San Diego Padres Raise Over $200,000 for Healthcare for Uninsured San Diego Families
San Diego, CA- The San Diego Padres once again issued a community challenge to raise support for Family Health Centers of San Diego. As part of the 2009 Padres’ Challenge, the San Diego Padres designated September 13, 2009 as Family Health Centers of San Diego- Day at the Padres! Family Health Centers of San Diego and its supporters will be prominently featured during the pre-game ceremony and throughout the September 13 Colorado Rockies vs. San Diego Padres 1:05pm game at PETCO Park.
“The San Diego Padres are proud to team up with Family Health Centers of San Diego to help children and families without health insurance,” said Sue Botos, Director of the Padres Foundation for Children.
The 2009 Padres’ Challenge raised over $200,000 for Family Health Centers of San Diego. The second largest community health center in the country, Family Health Centers of San Diego provides medical, dental, and mental health services to uninsured and medically underserved families. In 2008, its network of 28 locations provided care to over 120,000 individuals through 490,000 patient visits.
The success of the 2009 Padres Challenge was made possible by the generous support of the Moores Family, the San Diego Padres, County Supervisor Ron Roberts, Cricket Wireless, Union Bank, Kaiser Permanente, Qualcomm, Cox Communications, Sharp Health Plan, General Dynamics NASSCO, Barona Band of Mission Indians, Gen-Probe, Duhs Commercial, UnitedHealthcare, and many individuals. Funds raised from the Padres Challenge will be used to renovate and expand Family Health Centers of San Diego’s City Heights Family Health Center.
“Family Health Centers of San Diego is honored that so many generous local companies and individuals stepped up to the plate to support our mission,” said Jennette Lawrence, Family Health Centers of San Diego’s Director of Government and Community Relations. “With thousands of San Diego families losing their jobs and healthcare benefits, the demand for our affordable healthcare services is greater than ever.”
Funds raised from the Padres Challenge will help relocate and expand Family Health Centers of San Diego’s City Heights Family Health Center. Patient visits at the clinic have increased 465% since it opened five years ago. The existing site is now at capacity. Planning and fundraising is underway to relocate the clinic to a larger building one block away from the current site in order to accommodate the growing demand for caring, affordable and high quality healthcare services.
