Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society's (SSVMS) charitable program, the Community Service, Education and Research Fund is focused on increasing access to healthcare, improving health outcomes, advocating for mental health, and building the future of healthcare. SSVMS’s CSERF programs are supported by grants and generous donations from the community. SSVMS membership dues do not support these programs.
The Sacramento Physicians’ Initiative to Reach out, Innovate and Teach (SPIRIT) Program recruits and places physician volunteers to donate medical services to the medically indigent and uninsured members of our community. Working together with partner physicians and the region’s health systems, the SPIRIT Program provides uninsured people in the Sacramento region the care that helps them lead healthier, more productive lives. Since the program’s inception, SPIRIT has provided over $12 million in free care, treated over 54,000 patients and performed over 1,200 surgeries. Visit the SPIRIT page for more details on how to volunteer for the program.
SSVMS’ Joy of Medicine program relieves physician pain and helps them to reclaim the joy of practicing medicine through education, advocacy and program services designed to nurture individual well-being and collegiality and to promote systems-wide changes. For more information and to access wellness resources, visit JoyofMedicine.org.
The Future of Medicine program strengthens and diversifies the Sacramento region’s healthcare workforce by facilitating job shadowing and preceptorship programs to introduce high school students to various careers in medicine from all levels of clinicians to health administrators, technicians, pharmacists, dentists, public health managers, mental health providers and more. The program is a community collaboration with physician volunteers, local medical groups and hospitals, and school districts to enrich the education of local students and provides them with a solid foundation on which to build their healthcare careers.
Honoring Wishes is dedicated to providing the resources necessary for the medical community and community at large to facilitate meaningful end-of-life care conversations and planning. This includes reducing the stigma in discussing death and providing the resources and training necessary for patients’ wishes to be honored as they progress through end-of-life care.
Since 1969, SSVMS has supported the future of medicine by providing scholarships to deserving medical students who have graduated from a high school in El Dorado, Sacramento or Yolo Counties. Awardees, including the Paul J. Rosenberg, M.D. Scholar, are officially recognized at the “SSVMS Honors Medicine.” Click here for more information or to download an application.
Patients in mental health crisis frequently present to one of the Sacramento Region’s Emergency Departments (ED) for medical evaluation and treatment. Recognizing that the ED is not an optimal environment for patients in psychological distress, SSVMS convened emergency medicine physicians and psychiatrists to develop and implement the SMART Medical Clearance protocol to standardize the medical clearance process across all EDs and inpatient psychiatric hospitals with the goal of improving the quality of care for patients in crisis. The SMART protocol facilitates the safe and timely transfer of patients to appropriate treatment centers in a resource-conscious way by relying on evidence-based medicine and thorough history and physical exams. For more information visit smartmedicalclearance.org.
SSVMS co-chairs and is the executor of the Sacramento County Opioid Coalition. The coalition includes community members and experts collaborating to prevent opioid misuse and abuse to help save lives and promote wellness. The program focuses on educating providers regarding safe prescribing, educating the community on the dangers of illicit fentanyl, and increasing access to naloxone. Learn more by visiting sacopioidcoalition.org.
SSVMS’ Museum of Medical History showcases the history of medicine in our region and features medical artifacts from the fields of Surgery, Clinical Diagnosis, Infectious Disease, Pharmacy, Radiology, Chinese Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Medical Quackery. The museum is located at 5380 Elvas Ave, Sacramento 95819 and is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 4:00pm and is closed on holidays. Physicians interested in volunteering as a museum docent may learn more by clicking here.
These programs are part of the SSVMS Community Service, Education and Research Fund (CSERF), the non-profit 501 (c) (3) of the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society. Donations to CSERF can be made on behalf of the SSVMS Community Programs and are tax deductible as allowed by law.
For any questions on SSVMS Community Programs, email Lindsay Coate or call 916-452-2671.
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