September 20, 2006

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — The 16th annual HeartBeat Run/Walk and Health Fair, consisting of a 10K run, 5K run/walk, a kids' event and free health fair, is set for Sunday, Oct. 15 at the UC Davis School of Medicine in Davis.

Interested runners, walkers, and their families can get more information or register online at http://www.heartbeatrun.org. Race-day registration also will be available, from 7 to 8:40 a.m. The 5K run/walk begins at 9 a.m., while the 10K run starts at 9:20 a.m. There also will be a 1K kids' run starting at 10 a.m.

The HeartBeat Run/Walk is featuring a team competition this year. Entrants may register in teams of five to receive a registration discount and compete for special team prizes.

All proceeds from the event go to support UC Davis student-run medical clinics, which provide free health care to medically underserved populations of Sacramento and training for medical students. The event is organized and produced by the UC Davis School of Medicine chapter of the American Medical Student Association.

Both the 10K and 5K courses start and finish at the School of Medicine on the UC Davis campus. The 10K run extends through flat farmland and olive-tree-lined roads west of campus, and the 5K run/walk loops through the scenic Arboretum. The 1K kids' run will start after the 10K and 5K events and will go around the quad area at the medical school.

The HeartBeat Health Fair, set for 9 a.m. to noon, is free to the public. A variety of health information and services will be offered, including screenings for high blood pressure, unsafe glucose levels, high cholesterol and vision problems. Massage therapy, body-fat testing, lung-function testing and advice on nutrition also will be available.

The registration fee is $25 for the 10K run and the 5K run/walk, and $5 for the 1K kids' run.

The UC Davis student-run health clinics provide free medical care to underserved communities in Sacramento. Below are descriptions and locations of the clinics:

• Clinica Tepati (1500 C Street, Sacramento) serves the impoverished and Spanish-speaking populations of Sacramento. It was founded to offer accessible and quality health care to a medically underserved population, provide role models for the Latino community, and allow medical students an opportunity to become more aware of the needs of the medically underserved while developing their own medical skills. Physicians, medical students and undergraduates operate Clinica Tepati on a volunteer basis. Clinica Tepati plays a vital role in linking the dissimilar worlds of the traditional health-care system with the non-traditional patient. The clinic provides medical services to approximately 15 to 20 people every Saturday in addition to immunization services and public health education.
  
  
• Imani Clinic (3415 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Sacramento) serves the medically uninsured in the Oak Park Community of Sacramento. As a primary care facility with an ethnically diverse patient population, the clinic offers medical students and undergraduates the opportunity to acquire valuable clinical experience as well as skills in dealing with patients of many different backgrounds. The clinic provides immunization services and well-child exams for the community, and provides medical services to approximately 12 to 15 people each Saturday.
  
  
• Joan Viteri Memorial Clinic, a mobile clinic (location varies), provides health care for injection drug users and sex workers, two of Sacramento's most underserved and medically indigent populations. The clinic strives to provide unbiased health care to this high-risk population by treating them as people with addictions. The clinic operates out of a medically equipped van; its mobility enables the clinic to reach out to patients in all areas of Sacramento.
  
  
• Paul Hom Asian Clinic (776A Revere Street, Sacramento) has the distinction of being the oldest active Asian clinic in the mainland United States. Serving housing project residents, immigrants and others without resources, the Asian clinic provides free basic medical care with translation services. Medical students staff the clinic together with UC Davis undergraduate students and volunteer physicians.
  
  
• Shifa Community Clinic (419 V Street, Sacramento) provides primary health-care services at no charge to patients who either have no form of health insurance or difficulty obtaining health care in the traditional health system due to language or cultural barriers. The majority of Shifa's patients are Muslim and do not speak English. To accommodate the needs of these patients, Shifa provides translation services in Urdu, Arabic and Farsi and ensures that its volunteers understand and respect the beliefs of the patients.