SAMC patient navigator assists a patient with breast health information

The St. Anthony Medical Clinic Breast Health Program ensures access to potentially life-saving preventive and diagnostic services for uninsured, low-income and homeless women. Although only in its pilot year, by providing screening for so many women who lack other resources, we feel we have already been successful.

It is fundamental to our approach that each of our patients not only get the screenings they need, but that they also feel comfortable and experience a minimum of anxiety while going through the process. To this end we work to create a welcoming environment with multilingual patient navigators who help guide patients through the initial intake form, and by providing a nutritious breakfast for patients to enjoy while they wait.

Recently, Faten, one of our patient navigators and outreach coordinators, interviewed our patient Hakima about her experience having a mammogram at Avon last week.

Just click here, click “like,” and you’ve helped feed 2 warm meals to hungry San Franciscans. Already like our page? Tell a friend and help us meet our $5000 goal. It’s the easiest two meals you’ll ever cook!

The San Francisco Security Traders, the Girl Scouts, and the Ladies of the Consular Corps got us off to a great start with almost 600 pairs. People are still bringing them in to Curbside, where we meet cars and unload your donations of food and clothing. (Drive up to 105 Golden Gate at the corner of Jones and volunteers will unload for you.)  We’re just slightly more than half-way to the goal.

Any socks received at Curbside will go to the bags. Any socks left over will be divided among our programs.

Three days before the day before Christmas. Fewer than 400 pairs a day will fill those bags. They’re easy to find, inexpensive to purchase, light to carry. Thank you for whatever you can do. Thanks for sharing this post on Facebook and wherever else you can. Happy Holidays.

And socks.

At. St. Anthony’s, we always need socks. Right now, we especially need them for Christmas. We’re giving a Christmas bag to every guest who eats in the Dining room on Christmas. Every bag will contain a beautiful hand knit scarf. And every bag needs a pair of socks. Our goal is 3,000.

If you knit, knit a scarf. If you don’t, think of socks.

The Security Traders Association, the Girl Scouts, and the Ladies of the Consular Corps got us off to a tremendous start with 597 pairs.

 That’s not counting the socklets for women and children’s socks with cartoons and rock stars on them. These are great to give away.

 But what we really need  are men’s crew or trail socks that go all the way up the ankle to keep our guests, men and women, warm and dry. (Thank you Security Traders,  Girl Scouts, and Ladies of the Consular Corps.) If you don’t have the time or transportation for groceries and you don’t have the skills for hand knitting a scarf, you can donate  socks. You’d be surprised at the comfort and joy they bring.

Saturday, December 17th – Saturday, December 24th!

St. Anthony’s 24^th Annual Christmas Curbside Donation Drive begins on Saturday, December 17^th. St. Anthony Foundation staff and volunteers, wearing easily identifiable red jackets, will take delivery of food, clothing, and monetary donations at curbside, so donors won’t even have to leave their cars! Donated items are distributed free of charge to San Francisco’s most needy residents.

Your donation of NEW SOCKS, clean and ready-to-wear clothing, canned and dried foods are all much needed and appreciated! And if you’ve been working on hand knit scarves as holiday gifts to our guests, bring them in!

WHEN: December 17th-24th, 2011 – Weekends from 9-3 & Weekdays from 8-6

WHERE: St. Anthony Foundation - 105 Golden Gate @ Jones

NEEDED ITEMS:

Clothing
We need all kinds of clothing for men, women, and children – our most critical needs are for the following items:

Socks, Shoes
Underwear
Winter coats
Jackets
Hats

Monetary Donations

St. Anthony’s is happy to accept cash or checks for donation during Curbside and is prepared to issue receipts onsite for tax purposes.

ITEMS WE CANNOT ACCEPT:

Empty clothes hangers
Knick knacks
Used toys
Children’s car seats
Furniture
Medical equipment
Dirty, stained or torn items
Books and magazines
Exercise/sports equipment
Housewares
Computers, electronics

If you have any questions about donations, please call us at (415) 241-2600.

And in case you’d like to volunteer and join us for the holidays, call the St. Anthony Holiday Line at 415-592-2829. We look forward to seeing you!

St. Anthony’s 24th Curbside Holiday Donation Drive kicks off on Saturday, November 19th. St. Anthony Foundation staff and volunteers, wearing easily identifiable red jackets, will take delivery of food, clothing, and monetary donations at curbside, so donors won’t even have to leave their cars! Donated items are distributed free of charge to San Francisco’s most needy residents.

Your donation of turkeys, clean and gently worn clothing, canned and dried foods are all much needed and appreciated!

WHEN:
November 19th-24th AND December 17th-24th

• Weekdays from 8-6
• Weekends from 9-3

WHERE:
St. Anthony Foundation
105 Golden Gate @ Jones

NEEDED ITEMS:

Clothing
We need all kinds of clothing for men, women, and children – our most critical needs are for the following items:

Socks, Shoes
Underwear
Winter coats
Jackets
Hats

Monetary Donations
St. Anthony’s is happy to accept cash or checks for donation during Curbside and is prepared to issue receipts onsite for tax purposes.

Other
We also need these items:

Shopping bags – with handles
Blankets, comforters, sleeping bags
Luggage, bags, backpacks
Toiletries – new only, please
Towels, washcloths
Stuffed animals – good condition only
Children’s toys – new only, please
Strollers – in good condition
Canes – not crutches, walkers, wheelchairs

Items We Cannot Accept
Empty clothes hangers
Knick knacks
Used toys
Children’s car seats
Furniture
Medical equipment
Dirty, stained or torn items
Books and magazines
Exercise/sports equipment
Housewares
Computers, electronics

If you have any questions about donations, please call us at (415) 241-2600.

And in case you’d like to volunteer and join us for the holidays, call the St. Anthony Holiday Line at 415-592-2829. We look forward to seeing you this holiday season!

The Berkeley-based Diabetes Hands Foundation created the Big Blue Test in 2009 in order to raise awareness of the dramatic role exercise can play in helping diabetics control their blood sugar and manage their diabetes. In 2009 and 2010 tests, a mere 14 minutes of exercise consistently resulted in a 15 to 20% reduction in blood sugar for patients across the board.

The test is conducted worldwide between November 1st and November 14th, National Diabetes Day. For each participant who takes the test at Big Blue Test, a life-saving donation of supplies is made to a diabetic in need, as well as cash support to non-profits working with low-income diabetics. Everyone can participate, so test early and often, enter your results at Big Blue Test, and help St. Anthony Medical Clinic support diabetics in need.

Exactly 12,000 lunches, 450 volunteers, a nine piece band, a petting zoo, photo archives of 60 years in the Tenderloin, and a whole lot of fun. If you missed our 60th Anniversary, fear not. We’ll be posting media articles, photos, and videos to our blog and facebook pages over the next few weeks. We couldn’t do this work without you–our donors, guests, and volunteers. Thank you 60 times over.

This year some of that funding goes to St. Anthony’s Medical Clinic to help low-income women in the Tenderloin get one-stop breast health visits: mammograms, gynecological exams, cervical cytology. Anything that women in particular need to watch to stay healthy and whole.

Women who come to St. Anthony Medical Clinic for healthcare often have to choose between a doctor visit and a day’s work, between a sick child and their own health. St. Anthony’s will make it easier for women by holding quarterly women’s health days where women can take care of many examinations and tests all at once. A woman who misses one women’s health day to meet other needs can try for the next event.

If you join the Komen Foundation in the Race for the Cure in San Francisco, you help St. Anthony’s, and over a dozen of our community partner organizations, in the fight against breast cancer in low-income women.

You can sign up at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure web site at www.komensf.org

Komen SF Race for the Cure
Sunday, September 25, 2011
The Embarcadero, starting and finishing at the Ferry Building

St. Anthony Medical Clinic will thank you. We thank the Susan G. Komen Foundation for supporting low-income women in the Tenderloin.