Serving some of the most underserved patient populations in Los Angeles, CA since 1969.
The Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center Auxiliary, aka CARES, Center Auxiliary for Recruitment, Education and Service, was incorporated as a non-profit by the State of California. Founding members included Betty Ann Hibbard, Maria Cole (wife of Nat King Cole), Weta Mathies, Cynthia Berne.
2 Gift Shops established in the Medical Center with all profits to benefit programs for patients.
Various fundraisers were held to support the newly established free childcare program for patients’ children such as rummage sales, movie premieres, fashion, and horse shows.
A “drop in ” Childcare Center was established for children whose parents or siblings were in our hospital or clinics. Our first re-modeling projects: redesign of the radiation therapy waiting room, transforming a patio area for burn patients into a serene and relaxing environment.
CETA Title 11-D training grant of $510,000 awarded to CARES by the City of Los Angeles for operation of two childcare centers for patients. CARES establishes: Child Life Program in Pediatric Pavilion, Parent Education Program in Women’s Hospital, and play therapy for children in the Psychiatric Hospital.
The Los Angeles Times awarded major grants for a mobile building (classroom) for childcare.
First CARES Horse Show was held and continued for seven years, raising $425,000 for the CARES Child & Family Program
The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation gave funding for the operation of CARES Child & Family Program enabling much needed expansion which earned CARES “The National Association of Counties Achievement Award for Significant Innovative Activities,” and the National California Association of Public Hospitals Top Honor: the first annual “County Hospital Innovators Awawrd” for creative responses to challenging situations in County facilities.
CARES Thrift Shop opens to serve not only as a revenue source, but more importantly as a clothing resource for patients and their families. Patients without clothing upon discharge (100 patients/month) and patients’ families who have few resources received clothing.
Starts Child Life Consulting Program on the Burn Service for pediatric patients and their families.
Patient Visitor Program was established. Patient Crisis Funds were made available for patients who need assistance with rent, utilities, and food.
CARES Child & Family Program wins National Public Service Excellence Award “because of their innovative and comprehensive approach to meet the needs of the whole family when adults face healthcare needs.”
Establishes and operates a Coffee Bar at the request of Medical Center Management. Profits, as well as those from the 2 gift shops, provide a significant soure of revenue for programs that benefit patients and their families.
The L.A. County Pharmacists, along with the help of CARES Board members, raise funds through Golf Tournaments for the next eight years.
CARES Child & Family Program receives California Department of Education (CDE) funding which has continued to the present.
CARES Child & Family Program, with 5 community outreach programs, wins the coveted Foster McGaw Prize, a prestigious national award given to hospitals for expanding access to healthcare. Weta Mathies accepted the award on behalf of the Medical Center. At the same meeting in Washington, DC, CARES received the American Hospital Association Award for Volunteer Excellence as an “outstanding in-service hospital volunteer program.”
CARES remodeled the 5th floor waiting room for Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
The Pediatric Reading Program and Lending Library was started and is still going strong.
The Arts Council was established and sponsored by CARES to adorn the walls of the Medical Center with art.
CARES funds and opens Clinic Tower Childcare Center playground.
Inpatient Tower Childcare Center playground is completed due to additional support of the Parsons and Ahmanson Foundations added to funding from CARES. CARES supports the Annual Trauma Survivors Reunion. (Trauma survivors and the medical staff who treated them reunite so patients can give thanks and staff can see how their former patients have gone on to lead productive and healthy lives.)
Supports and pays the annual license fee for the C.A.R.E. channel (Continuous Ambient Relaxation Environment) to provide a peaceful audio/video experience for patients and staff. To honor nurses, begins sponsoring the celebrated Daisy Foundation Nurse Recognition Program.
Supplies baby layette items to the Obstetrics Department (including 1000 LAC+USC logo onesies, and hundreds of sleep sacks said to reduce SIDS), to ensure that all new moms take their newborns home in style.
Begins continuing support of Schwartz Rounds, the successful, nationally recognized program dedicated to strengthening the relationship between patients and caregivers and preserving the human connection in healthcare. CARES creates the Pediatric Burn Family Room as a quiet stress free/treatment free zone for pediatric burn patients and their families to spend time together while the children recover from their burns. Transforms the Pediatric ICU Waiting Room into a child-friendly environment where pediatric patients and their families are brought together, thus improving their Medical Center experience.
Transforms Surgical ICU Waiting/Consultation Room into a serene place for medical staff to meet privately with a patient’s family. Pediatric Orthopedic Clinic and Lobby are made child friendly. Two hospital rooms are remodeled into Comfort Care Suites for “End-of-Life” patients, providing a soothing place to spend final moments with loved ones. CARES began sponsoring the Holiday Giving Program to provide gift bags of toys, food, and clothes with the assistance of the National Charity League of San Marino and the involvement of the community.
Music Program established. Pianos placed in the Inpatient and Clinic Tower lobbies.
Enhances services for Psychiatric adolescent patients by providing clothing, supplies for activities, gifts for holidays and special events, and snacks for rewards.
Pediatric Casting Room remodel completed making it more child-friendly and staff efficient. CARES, with the support of the Ahmanson and Parsons Foundations, is in the process of remodeling the Pediatric Emergency Department. Project is to be completed by the end of 2020.
L.A. Regional Food Bank partners with CARES to bring food to patients initially during the Holiday Giving Program and continuing with Food Pharmacy deliveries for diabetic patients and specialized food boxes for geriatric patients. Major food distributions continue regularly, two and sometimes three times per month, for patients and their families. twice a month to deliver food to the patients while they came to their appointments.
Distribution of free Clothing for hospitalized patients increased to over 2000 patients annually, thus allowing them to be discharged from the hospital.
The Mobile Food Bank had to become a Food Pantry. Patients were still welcomed to come and get free food twice a month; however, the operation of the distribution of food had to be adapted to follow all the COVID-19 safety rules.
CARES Provides Childcare for Essential Workers of LAC+USC. In March 2020, due to the threat of the spread of COVID-19, most clinics were closed, and visitation to hospitalized patients ended. It became apparent that the need for childcare for patients’ children no longer existed. However, during that time, the demand emerged for childcare for Essential Workers. Schools closed, and many of the Medical Center staff had no place to leave their children. CARES rose to the occasion by adapting all safety policies of COVID-19 in our Childcare Centers to accept the children of over 80 employees so that they could come to work to care for their patients.
Renovation of the Pediatric Emergency Area. The Pediatric Emergency area staff came to CARES with a problem in the design of the existing Pediatric ER in the Fall of 2018. Concern was expressed about the layout of the area, the lack of a child-friendly environment, and not having the necessary equipment to adequately serve their patients. CARES went to work to raise funding for the project and secured $228,000 from two major local charitable foundations. The designing of the area began in 2019, the construction remodel began in 2020. Considering all the problems that occurred due to the pandemic, the project was still completed in June 2021.
CARES Child Care Centers were refurbished with new playground surfaces and new equipment. At the conclusion of the Pandemic when clinics reopened to in-person patient appointments; CARES Childcare Clinics reopened its services to the patients’ families. The Free Food Pantry distribution continued to expand and become more accessible to the patients’ families experiencing food insecurity. It operates at least twice a month, often food is available during vaccination clinics, and a patient drive-through has been added, as well as the walk-up service. Also, additional much-needed supplies such as freezers and canopies have been donated. The Patient Crisis Fund has been made available to more patients in desperate need of financial resources for their housing and utilities because two charities made significant donations for that purpose.
CARES accepts donations and volunteers to help with our mission.
All donations are tax deductible.
For the many ways that the community may contribute funds or in-kind donations, contact the CARES Office at (323) 409-6941.
CARES is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
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