The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences’ CommunityCare Clinic will hold its second annual golf tournament Saturday, July 16, at 1:30 p.m. at Heather Downs Country Club, 3910 Heatherdowns Blvd.
The tournament is a fundraiser for the clinic, which is run by health science graduate students and medical students from UT.
“The CommunityCare Clinic provides free care to underinsured or uninsured,” said Saloni Mathur, second-year medical student and director of public relations for the clinic. “One of the ways we can do that is by fundraising. Our golf tournament is one of our biggest fundraisers; we’re hoping to get as much exposure as possible and get as many people to donate or come and play.”
The CommunityCare Clinic works to provide basic medical care to the underserved populations in the Toledo community. In addition to routine wellness visits, the main clinic offers services such as occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, HIV testing and a women’s clinic. Students also work with psychiatrists and social workers to provide mental health services.
Last year’s event allowed for the addition of a physician-supervised traveling clinic, which stops around Toledo to provide basic health-care services closer to home.
Mathur said the main focus with the money raised during this year’s event will be keeping the weekly clinic running as usual, though opportunities to grow would be welcomed.
“We are always looking for expansion, and we like to get involved in other health-care organizations or events. We are putting on a health-care event for migrant workers who have come into the United States and still don’t have insurance or don’t yet have their citizenship. We have clinics we will be holding specifically for migrants, though all of our clinics are open and no questions asked.”
Mathur said the ability to work at the clinic is invaluable in terms of out-of-class experience. Especially with the traveling clinic, the opportunity to meet Toledo residents and take that classroom learning to the real world takes the education a step further.
“You get to meet people who live in Toledo, not just people you go to school with. We are all students; we want to learn. Sitting in class is one way to do that; this is a great way to get hands-on experience. For those students who haven’t yet completed their rotations, they can finally put what they’re learning in the class to practical use so, by the time they get to rotation, they’ve already given a physical, they’ve already been able to take a history. They’re 10 steps ahead of those who haven’t.”
Dinner will be served after the golf tournament concludes. Casual attire is recommended, as well as non-metal spikes.
The deadline to register for the tournament is Friday, July 8. Cost is $75 per person or $60 per person for students.
To register or to see sponsorship opportunities, go to http://utole.do/communitycareclinic.
For more information on the CommunityCare Clinic, go to utcommunitycare.org.
