INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The Indian River County Medical Society Foundation presents its Inaugural We Care Gala – “Home is Where the Heart is” on March 15.
The gala features several exciting elements including honoring Dr. Hugh K. McCrystal as the recipient of Indian River County’s “Public Health Hero” Award and keynote speaker Dr. Edie Widder, nationally renown speaker, scientist and founder of ORCA (Ocean Research and Conservation Association).
The gala will take place on Saturday March 15 at Bent Pine Golf & Country Club in Vero Beach and calls for black tie optional attire. Tickets are $225 per person or $400 per couple. Tickets will go on sale soon and must be purchased by March 7.
Proceeds will benefit the Indian River County Medical Society Foundation’s “We Care” Clinic Renovation Project.
Guests and supporters are invited to enjoy live music, fabulous food and drinks, hear from a “We Care” program patient and enter to win some incredible raffle baskets, all while raising funds for the “We Care” Clinic Renovation Project.
“For 23 years, the ‘We Care’ free clinic program, in which physicians volunteer their services to help medically indigent Indian River County residents, has existed only as a collection of good will,” said Dr. Dennis F. Saver, President of the Indian River County Medical Society Foundation Board of Directors. “The program has operated with no budget, no money, no fundraising, and a low profile. For the last 15 years, 120-plus physicians have donated medical care with a value of nearly $1 million per year. These are crucial services that our community will need in future years despite the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.”
The State of Florida refused to expand Medicaid eligibility meaning that those who do not qualify for current Florida Medicaid (generally requires the presence of dependent children or certified disability) and are still below the 100 percent Federal Poverty Level will be “left out” of the system.
The Affordable Health Care Act’s Health Care Marketplace provides price support starting at 100 percent of the FPL, but not for those below this level who were supposed to be covered by Medicaid in each state. Many residents of Indian River County will continue to need a safety net to obtain medical care, and that is where the “We Care” program can help.
Gala proceeds will fund the “We Care” Clinic Renovation Project. A suite of office space at Gifford Health Center will be renovated to become the future home of the “We Care” program. Additional Foundation activities include purchasing supplies that volunteer physicians need to do their work such as lens implants used to perform cataract surgery, transportation to specialty care and medications that cannot be obtained through other mechanisms and other services.
“We are looking forward to taking the next steps to create a permanent home for the “We Care” program,” said Dr. Saver. “The new “We Care” clinic is an important step toward improving medical care for Indian River County indigent patients in a permanent setting and providing non-physician related services currently not offered.”
Gala sponsorship opportunities are available and range from $250 to $20,000+. Raffle basket items are also needed.
For more information or to download a sponsorship or raffle basket donation form, visit www.IRCMS.org or call (772) 562-0123. Current sponsors include Modern Ink PR, ABC Printing and the Community Business Alliance.
Don’t miss the opportunity to support the IRCMS Foundation’s “We Care” Clinic Renovation Project that will create a permanent home for the “We Care” program that provides free medical health care for qualifying indigent residents of Indian River County. For more information about the Indian River County Medical Society, the Indian River County Medical Society Foundation and the Indian River County Medical Society Foundation Inaugural We Care Gala, call (772) 562-0123 or visit www.IRCMS.org.
