Dear Friends,
I am proud to announce that Fiat Lux Foundation is partnering with San Francisco City Impact, an organization that intervenes on behalf of residents of the Tenderloin district of San Francisco by providing for their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs.
Dr. Chen with a patient.
On August 17th 2013, the 3rd Annual SF City Impact Conference gathered 2,000 volunteers to serve the people of the Tenderloin. The conference included multiple outreach projects which provided food, clothing, medical care, and basic hygiene for approximately 3,700 inner city residents. Dr. Jessica Chen, an ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist from Palo Alto, volunteered at the Jones Street vision tent.
A volunteer screens a homeless patient's vision.
A team of volunteers screened patients by obtaining an eye history and testing visual acuity. Patients who were identified with potentially serious eye conditions or poor vision were examined by Dr. Chen. Those confirmed to need follow-up care were referred to the Ophthalmology Department at San Francisco General Hospital. Many patients had not had an eye exam for several years, and several were blind in one eye from prior injury or eye disease.
Dr. Chen takes a medical history.
Fiat Lux Foundation provided funds for the vision charts, eye examination equipment, and free reading glasses. A total of 184 patients were examined and treated during the conference.
SF City Impact has established a Health & Wellness Center, which provides free medical care to approximately 240 patients per month. With future support from the Fiat Lux Foundation, Dr. Chen hopes to set up a permanent eye clinic at the Health & Wellness center, where doctors will be able to provide basic eye care to indigent residents of San Francisco.
For more information about SF City Impact, please visit http://sfcityimpact.com.
Thomas Tayeri, M.D.