SDCMSF services benefit the entire community

Benefiting the Community

San Diego County Medical Society Foundation was formed in 2005 as a separate 501c3 not-for-profit organization by the San Diego County Medical Society, with the mission of addressing unmet San Diego healthcare needs of all patients and physicians through innovation, education, and service.

Our programs and services are focused on increasing access to healthcare services, improving health outcomes, and building the future healthcare system.
Current programs include:

You can download and view our SDCMSF brochure for highlights of our programs and benefits to the community.

Project Access San Diego (PASD) is our flagship program; it is a volunteer-driven program to help low-income, uninsured San Diego County residents with access to needed specialty healthcare services. PASD is dedicated to restoring our patient’s health, ability to work and support their families, and enjoy healthy lives while preventing the development of more serious medical conditions. Project Access San Diego benefits our entire community:

PASD Benefits Low-Income Patients

Access to specialty healthcare not available through their primary care provider
Care Management and Coordination
Enabling services, i.e., transportation and translation
Identification of eligibility for public assistance programs
Reduce duplicative visits

PASD Benefits Community Health Centers

Facilitate access to care for improved health of patients
Increases capacity to serve health needs of patients
Provides support to referral managers and clinic staff
Reduces need for repetitive visits

PASD Benefits Volunteer Physicians

Makes volunteerism easy and less burdensome on office staff
Ensures referrals are appropriate, and visits are efficient
Provides case management and office staff support

PASD Benefits the Community Healthcare System

Reduces emergency room visits
Reduces inpatient hospitalization days
Coordinates resources and reduces duplication
Reduces overall costs

PASD Benefits the Business Community

Gets employees back to work from disability
Reduces number of missed days of work
Healthier community members contribute to our local economy

Improving Health Benefits Us All

Our Board of Directors and staff assure that the programs and services meet our mission: Addressing healthcare needs by improving access to care and supporting physicians serving San Diego County residents. Partnerships with other healthcare organizations are vital to our success. We aim to increase linkages in services for underserved community members.

Our vision:

Enhanced health of San Diego County community members through coordinated, comprehensive healthcare services that improves access for those most vulnerable.

“Dr. Morelock is my angel here on earth,” says Sonia, a women in her early 40s experiencing hearing loss, dizziness and excruciating pain due to a cyst behind her eardrum. Michael D. Morelock, MD, otolaryngolgist and volunteer for Project Access San Diego, restored Sonia’s hearing by removing the abnormal growth and reconstructing the damaged middle ear. Now Sonia can hear her children, even when they don’t want her to! She is very grateful to Dr. Morelock and his office staff for reaching out and participating with Project Access.

The Need for SDCMSF Services is Great

The U.S. healthcare crisis is real and growing. The American Medical Association indicates that roughly 46 million Americans or 16% of the population is without any insurance to cover basic healthcare needs.

In San Diego County the numbers are even worse: one in every four adults 18 – 65 is uninsured. The uninsured population ranges greatly from those with pre-existing conditions, to working families who are not offered benefits through employers, to small business owners who simply can’t afford coverage for themselves or their employees. This tide of working uninsured is a financial and social strain on our hospitals and our communities.

SDCMSF works to recruit and coordinate resources that significantly improve the health, ability to work, and quality of life for low-income, uninsured people in the San Diego region.