Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center Connecting to its Community

Dignity Health St. Mary Partnered with Salvation Army

Long Beach — Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center or SMMC partnered with The Salvation Army Long Beach on May 30 to host a community health screening and education event in honor of Stroke Awareness Month. The event was open to all community members in the greater Long Beach area. 

Dr. Wally Wazni, medical director of community health education and neuroendovascular surgery at SMMC, hosted a presentation on brain health and stroke prevention. Attendees also participated in stroke health screenings, such as cholesterol, blood glucose, and blood pressure. The SMMC Education Team distributed health education, information, and resources along with immediate lab results.

The educational team and physicians strongly encourage patients to continue to maintain their annual checkups for prevention of stroke and mainstream health. If it’s been a while since you’ve been fully tested and checked, patients are urged to seek out their physicians for routine checkups.

Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center Foundation Successfully Raises $140,000 for CARE Center

The St. Mary Medical Center Foundation announced that its 30th Annual Charity Golf Classic raised over $140,000 for this year’s chosen beneficiary, Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center’s CARE Center. Founded at the rise of the AIDS pandemic in 1986, St. Mary’s CARE Center continues to offer important programs and services to the people in the Long Beach community. Today, the CARE Center provides comprehensive HIV treatment, PrEP & PEP, social services, dental care, health education, a food pantry and housing assistance to patients.

“St. Mary currently has a $2.3 million CARE Center expansion project underway, which includes a new centrally located medical clinic”, shares Carolyn Caldwell, St. Mary Hospital President. “When the project is finished, our CARE Center offerings will include medical care, behavioral health and additional support services, all located in one convenient location on our hospital campus.”

Proceeds from this year’s charity golf tournament will help support the CARE Center’s mission of providing life-changing services, while making sure it is able to expand to meet the growing needs of our most vulnerable patients.