WEST COAST SPORTS MEDICINE FOUNDATION

Since 1994, WCSMF-Team To Win has focused on achieving health equity and eliminating disparities prevalent in the Los Angeles area. Understanding the need to invest in communities of color, WCSMF-Team To Win’s multifaceted foundation continues to provide sports medicine care while also educating and uplifting the youth we serve. The mission of West Coast Sports Medicine Foundation is to provide a positive effect on the lives of the youth it serves. Participation in interscholastic sports promotes teamwork and a healthy lifestyle while encouraging cooperation and understanding. Engaging in extracurricular activities also helps to foster and build relationships, enhance equal opportunities, and teach valuable life lessons to be successful. Through organized athletic participation, student athletes learn how to set goals and meet challenges. These students are less likely to use drugs or join a gang. This inspires high school athletes to graduate, pursue higher education and become future leaders of the community. Team to Win organizes sports medicine clinics where uninsured and underinsured student athletes may receive free or discounted health care and wellness services. Our organization currently serves 13,000 high school student athletes located throughout Los Angeles County where 61% of high school students qualify for reduced lunch, indicating a high percentage of student-poverty levels by the California Dept. of Education. In 2019, less than half of LAUSD’s graduating class were eligible for the state’s public universities, signifying a need to invest in our BIPOC communities, especially as about 4 out of 5 LAUSD students are minorities from low-income families – many are first-generation college goers. We hope to continue to confront the racial, socio economic, and health disparities that affect our youth by providing a space where health equity is achieved.