A community outreach program at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center that provides free medical care to low-income families and children received honorable mention recognition at a national conference on volunteerism held recently in Washington, D.C.

The Community Health Practice, a program which uses an all-volunteer staff including physicians, nurses, social workers and other health care professionals to provide free healthcare to the underserved of Camden, was a semi-finalist in the Partners in Transformation awards, presented by FASTEN (Faith and Service Technical Education Network, a collaborative initiative by the Pew Charitable Trusts) and the Points of Light Foundation.

The awards program sought to identify effective models of faith-based, multi-sector collaboration that demonstrated success in tackling social problems through meaningful partnerships in the community.

The Community Health Practice was established in 1998 by Lourdes physician Ted Camiscioli, MD, and his wife, Betty Camiscioli, RN, to provide quality primary and subspecialty health care to uninsured or underinsured individuals. Many of Lourdes physicians, nurses and allied health professionals donate their time and expertise to the clinic, which offers services at the Bergen Lanning Health Clinic on Clinton Street in Camden.