Seton Coastside has been at the forefront of addressing the healthcare needs of the Coastside's disadvantaged population through its community outreach programs.
Along with the members of the Community Advisory Committee, Seton Coastside sponsors programs such as:
At Seton Coastside, we are committed to improving the healthcare needs of our Coastside community through collaborative partnerships with the Coastside Collaborative, School Linked Services and the Partnership Task Force.
Seton Coastside proudly strengthens the healing mission of the Daughters by offering support and compassionate care to the whole person in body, mind, and spirit. At Seton Coastside, we believe Caring is Powerful Medicine. We are committed to providing leadership in dealing with the quality of health and life issues that affect our broader community, particularly children and those in the disadvantaged population.
The Teddy Bear Clinic
To acquaint local children with the Emergency Department, Seton Coastside hosts an annual free Teddy Bear Clinic. Children are invited to bring their stuffed animals to the hospital where a team of medical professionals examine and treat the ailing toys.
This special "clinic" represents an outstanding collaborative community effort. Seton Coastside's Community Advisory Committee teams up with representatives from the local school district, physician groups, educators, business people, The Fisherman's Association, The Auxiliary, Seton Coastside, and Seton Medical Center. Together, this committee presents this outstanding annual event to all Coastside school children.
Initially, the Coastside schools of the surrounding communities distribute information about Seton Coastside's coloring book contest and event flyer to school grade children, K-3. The entries are then returned to Seton Coastside, where the skilled nursing facility residents and Seton Coastside's C.N.A.'s judge each grade's entries. Teddy bears are awarded to the winners. A grand prizewinner is chosen and receives a donated ambulance ride with lights and sirens to school.
On the day of the clinic, nursing staff and C.N.A.'s rotate their duties so they can all participate in the event. Everyone wears teddy bear shirts, which are donated by Seton Coastside's Community Outreach Program. Volunteers from Seton Coastside and Seton Medical Center make sure that the teddy bears, accompanied by their child's owner, are registered and have labs drawn. Physicians and nurses in the Seton Coastside Emergency Department then treat all of the teddies. If surgery is required, the Coastside Auxiliary provides the "stitches" and the pharmacist fills their prescribed pain medicine. The bears move onto receive nutritional counseling, physical or occupational therapy and then are discharged home.
The children and the volunteers are served hot dogs and other refreshments in the Seton Coastside's parking area, where local Boy Scouts provide traffic control and security for this special event. Life flight helicopter, ambulance service, the Fire Department, the Sheriff's Department, and the Harbor Patrol are all on display for information and education about the services each of them provide.
More than 250 children and 350 adults attend this special Teddy Bear Clinic. Transportation up and down the hill is provided by the Seton Medical Center Transportation Department.
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Urgent Care for Uninsured Coastside Residents
The Seton Coastside RotaCare Clinic, in Half Moon Bay, brings urgent care to Coastsiders who have no medical insurance or other means of obtaining care. Launched in January 1993, RotaCare is the result of a collaborative partnership between Seton Health Services Foundation, the Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay, and the Coastside Opportunity Center. Doctors and Nurses from Seton Coastside volunteer their time, providing much needed and invaluable healthcare services to Coastside residents. The Clinic also offers interpreters for Spanish-speaking patients. An appointment is not needed to access the RotaCare Clinic. The clinic operates on a first-come, first-served basis.
The RotaCare Clinic is open:
Wednesdays (excluding holiday) 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
San Mateo Co. Health Clinic
225 South Cabrillo Hwy 2nd Floor
Half Moon Bay
For more information, please call (650) 726-9071.
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For more information, call (650) 563-7100.
At Seton Coastside, where Experience Countssm, we look forward to providing these services to you and your family with both care and compassion.