Lacy J. Dalton Concert Benefits New Rotacare Clinic in Richmond

What do Hall of Fame country music song-writer/singer Lacy J. Dalton and the most recent Rotary clinic for health-uninsured people have in common?  

On May 2, "Country music's Bonnie Raitt" returns to her folk roots, at a fundraiser for the brand new RotaCare Clinic in Richmond.  Freight and Salvage, 2020 Addison St. Berkeley is the venue for her 8 p.m. performance. Tickets supporting the clinic are $40 each ($17.50 tax-deductible donation) and business sponsorships are $250 including two tickets.

The RotaCare clinic which recently opened in Richmond provides free medical services to the 160,000 uninsured adults and children in west Contra Costa County – and it will see uninsured from Alameda County too. 

It is truly a community clinic with doctors, nurses, social workers, former teachers, and regular Rotarians and other folks volunteering pooling efforts to provide care.

Through a partnership with Brighter Beginnings, http://www.brighter-beginnings.org/who-we-are/vision-mission  as well as nine local Rotary Clubs (including Albany), RotaCare Bay Area will now be able to open its twelfth clinic and extend these much needed services to the West Contra Costa County community! 

The clinic is currently open Tuesdays from 4 – 8 p.m. and hopes to expand the hours and services as more volunteers become available. Typical services provided include:

• Diabetes, asthma, hypertension
• Cough, cold, flu and/or sore throat
• Minor laceration repair, wound care
• Allergies or sinusitis
• Ear infections
• Sprains and muscle strains
• Urinary tract infections
• Headache/backache
• Rashes, poison oak, minor skin infections
• Child Immunizations

According to Pate Thomson MD, a Berkeley Rotarian and one of the founders of the clinic, in the first three weeks of the clinic “we have been able to diagnose and initiate lifesaving treatment of a construction worker, with classic type 1 diabetes, uncontrolled and with early complications of that newly diagnosed disease.  

He was admitted to the hospital Thursday.  We should be able to restore him to a manageable state where his will become much more robust and able to work.  We have been able to place a Medical eligible mother into a suitable medical system to treat 4 months of debilitating sciatica likely due to nerve encroachment.  

She will be helped.  We have dealt with and treated, hypertension, asthma, urinary tract infections, obesity and type 2 diabetes, rashes to mention but a few. Having the social worker on site is a huge plus in getting patients into appropriate support programs.”

RotaCare Bay Area, Inc. is a volunteer alliance of medical professionals and community members dedicated to providing primary healthcare services free of charge to uninsured individuals with acute or chronic medical conditions. Medical malpractice insurance is provided.

Please see their website, http://www.rotacarebayarea.org/index.html to volunteer or donate.  Volunteer opportunities include medical providers, clerical services, and community resource clerks.

For tickets to the May 2 Lacy J. Dalton concert, please contact the Albany Rotary Club via email at info@albanycarotary.org This outstanding combination of music and FUNdraising will be evening not to be forgotten.