TO decongest the city-owned and government owned hospitals of minor cases, the SM Foundation lnc., under SMFI executive director Connie Angeles, is rehabilitating Health centers where minor health-care concerns can be attended to.

Since most of the hospital wards being renovated by SM are in Quezon City, Angeles feels that government hospitals should focus on secondary- and tertiary fare cases. She mentions that most government hospitals in Quezon City have sought the help of SM in rehabilitating its wards, and SM has responded to the calls of the East Avenue Medical Center, the children’s Medical Center, the Quezon City General Hospital and the National Orthopedic Hospital. Of course, SM has likewise responded to the calls of hospitals in Manila, Muntinlupa, Marikina, Mandaluyong, Pasay and Makati, and even in the provinces.

SMFl chose to adopt the Barangay Kaligayahan Health Center in Quezon City as one of the multipurpose health Center projects with the goal of providing cost-effectivequality service and continueous health care to the residents and its adjacent barangays.

The project also aims to provide the necessary medical and recreational equipment, and seed medical supplies until it can stand on its own, said barangay captain Reynaldo Miranda Jr., in his acceptance speech following the turnover of the fadlities, as he thanked the SM Group for rehabilitating the center.

Barangay Kaligayahan Health Center in Novaliches, which is located within the vicinity of SM Fairview, has an attached Center for the Elderly and a Children’s Activity Center. The center houses a dispensary, a dental clinic, a lying-in clinic, consultation rooms and a small pharmacy wheremedicines can be obtained. It is also recipient of SM’s Gamot Para sa Kapwa medicine drive. Manpower and medicines are provided by the city government and the Department of Health. On-the-job trainings for the barangay health center personnel are regularly conducted by these agencies to enable them to respond to the many medical cases they encounter daily.

Angeles, a former vice mayor of Quezon City prior to her joining the SM family, also committed to undertake a yearly maintenance and upgrading of medical equipment of the center. The health center shall, likewise, be a venue for regular medical missions set up by the SM Foundation.

Adopting a barangay health center is the newest project ofthe foundation in line with itshealth and medical advocacy.The firstbarangay health center adopted by SM Foundation was the Bago Bantay Health Center in Quezon City, located within the vicinity of SM North Edsa.