IAMA & IAMACF hold charity fundraising gala

CHICAGO: A front ranking Indian American organization of professionals, the Indian American Medical Association (IAMA) of Illinois, together with the Indian American Medication Association Charitable Foundation (IAMACF) held their Semi-Annual Meeting and Annual Charity Fundraising Gala on Saturday, April 16, at the Waterford Banquet Hall in Elmhurst. Attended by members, Chicago businessmen and elites, the event was a big success.

With 300 plus donors and supporters extending their patronage, the Charity Gala helped raise funds for its free community health clinic, located at 2645 W. Peterson Avenue in Chicago.

For over 20 years, the IAMACF health clinic has been providing free primary care, lab testing and limited pharmaceutical services to about 3000 patients per year. This year’s gala was emceed by Ravi Baichwal, Television Anchor for ABC Chanel 7 News and keynoted by Dr. Jay Bhatt, Chief Health Officer at Illinois Health and Hospital Association.

“The people we treat at the clinic are low income individuals, who represent a host of immigrant and refugee communities who have no health insurance or are under-insured with no other healthcare facility nearby that they can turn to for free, walk-in health care. We’re it I’m afraid,” said Dr. Rambha Radhakrishnan, IAMACF’s Volunteer Medical Director.

“This year, we were very fortunate to have gala sponsors like Wealth Management Network, Seasons Hospice and Medstar Laboratory. We were also very fortunate to have received a $250K commitment last year, by Dr. Ashok Ray” said Dr. Annita John, IAMACF’s Board Chair.

Currently, the clinic is in need of volunteer physicians for some of its Sunday clinic sessions in 2016, which are typically from 10am to 2pm, said Medical Director Dr. Radhakrishnan.

This year’s IAMACF Community Service Award was given to Dr. Ashley Spielburg, Associate Professor of Optometry at the Illinois Eye Institute, who has been performing free eye exams on diabetic patients one Saturday every month for the last four years at the IAMACF Clinic.

Chris Zala
 Asian Media USA