Care Harbor promotes the health and well-being of underserved populations by creating new pathways to accessible, sustainable care.
Our first event was produced in conjunction with Maria Shriver (then first lady of California) in the fall of 2010, in Long Beach. We produced three more massive free clinics at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Together, these four events provided more than 48,000 medical, dental and vision services, including dental fillings, extractions, cleanings, root canals and crowns, partial dentures, eye exams and prescription glasses, exams by primary care physicians and specialists. More than 25,000 screenings and immunizations have been given. All services are at no charge to the patient.
Early in 2012, we changed our name to Care Harbor (from CareNow) to symbolize our role as both a destination and a gateway – a refuge for people seeking care and a portal that leads to continuing care and healthier lifestyles. We are preparing our next clinic at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, with a further expansion in free services.The Care Harbor team first worked together in 2009 at what was then the largest urban free clinic in the country, held at the Forum in Los Angeles. Don Manelli, founder of Care Harbor, was the local organizer and producer. After organizing a second free clinic in the spring of 2010, he formed the California based nonprofit with the vision that large free clinic events can provide sustainable as well as episodic care and create lasting change in the lives of the people served.
Care Harbor has since innovated major advances in the free clinic model. We’ve developed patient handling systems that eliminate overnight waits by patients hoping to gain entry, and day long internal lines. We’ve implemented a HIPAA compliant electronic medical record system. We’ve introduced greatly expanded prevention and health education capabilities, including unique programs like preventive dentistry. We continue to innovate new software solutions that allow us to manage and measure clinic performance with greater depth and precision than ever. And our follow-up capability helps assure that patients with conditions requiring additional treatment receive it.
We have continued to expand our mission in this era of healthcare reform. With a major insurance education and enrollment effort, we are creating the opportunity for thousands of uninsured to enter no-cost and low cost coverage programs.
We are now expanding the Care Harbor clinic model to other cities. The Care Harbor team will continue to innovate advances expanding the breadth of services we offer, the quality of care we deliver, and the access to sustainable care we provide.
