San Diego County Medical Society Foundation to Host Fourth Annual Tournament & Health Heroes Reception

The San Diego County Medical Society Foundation (SDCMS Foundation) will be hosting its fourth annual Aces for Health golf tournament on April 18, 2016 at the Lomas Santa Fe Country Club. The event, consisting of afternoon golf and tennis and evening reception, is designed to raise funds for medically underserved San Diegans and recognize health heroes, who are making a major difference in the San Diego community.

In addition to golf, this year’s attendees will get to partake in a round-robin tennis tournament, witness a tennis exhibition game and enjoy the evening Health Heroes Awards reception.

The event timeline is as follows:

· 11:30 a.m. Golf Registration & Luncheon

· 12:30 p.m. Shotgun Start Time; Scramble Format

· 2:00 p.m. Exhibition Game (Gabi DeSimone, ranked #1 at the USC until her graduation in 2015, vs. Caroline Vis, former professional tennis player with nine titles to her credit)

· 5:30 p.m. Health Heroes Awards Ceremony & Dinner

The Health Heroes Awards ceremony will honor individuals and agencies that bring the nonprofit’s mission to life. Honorees include the “Saturday Surgery Day” Team at Kaiser Permanente (represented by Daniel “Stony” Anderson, MD; Paul Bernstein, MD; Sandra Freiwald, MD; and Shreya Sasaki, MPH), who spearheaded the launch of SDCMS Foundation’s signature surgery event providing pro bono specialty care to medically underserved San Diego residents. Additional honorees include Hernan Goldsztein, MD, Moses Salgado, MD, and James Grisolia, MD, who volunteer to see an extraordinary number of SDCMS Foundation patients in their offices pro bono; Stephanie Rosas, a volunteer medical interpreter living in Ramona who drives across the county to ensure patients understand their medical care; Bob DeSimone, SDCMS Foundation board member who is the driving force behind the nonprofit’s fundraising events, and; The Doctors Company, the agency’s Corporate Partner of the Year.

Barbara Mandel, executive director of SDCMS Foundation, said that all health professionals that volunteer for Project Access are heroes. “Those without health insurance would not get the care they desperately need without the care of the medical community, and we are so happy to be able to acknowledge just a few of the super stars each year,” added Mandel.

The Health Heroes reception will also include a silent auction, with premier items and artwork from the Hearts for Healing program, which was created by prominent local artist Gerrit Greve and includes artwork made by area youth. Proceeds will support SDCMS Foundation’s flagship program, Project Access San Diego, which provides access to healthcare for those most vulnerable, through a network of 650+ physicians volunteering to care for uninsured San Diegans.

The Lomas Santa Fe Country Club is located at 1505 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach, 92075. Interested attendees can register at www.sdcmsf.org/golf, www.sdcmsf.org/tennis, or www.sdcmsf.org/healthheroes.