This Valentine’s Day, why not send an important message to the public that doctors are what they have always been: caring and committed to healing the sick. Taking an active role in community affairs or charities, is an important step towards improving our image and increasing the public’s confidence in our profession.

Doctors With A Heart (DWAH) is comprised of chiropractors, medical doctors, osteopaths, dentists, psychologists, and other professionals who saw the need to reach out to those people in their community who had a hard time affording the services they needed. Founded by Iowa dentist Dr. Duane Schmidt, the charity has become the largest doctor charity in the world.

Doctors who participate in DWAH donate their services each Valentine’s Day or other days of the year, to anyone who needs it. It’s an opportunity to make a generous contribution to the community and a wonderful way to help many who might otherwise not receive the care they need. Because some patients feel reluctant to receive free care, doctors also accept non-perishables or monetary donations for a local charity of the doctor’s choice.

To help doctors effectively and properly promote and prepare, DWAH provides its participants with a complete outline of program ideas and samples of promotional information and brochures.

HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE

  1. Each year, send a tax-deductible gift to Doctors With A Heart, 10733 57th Ave N, Seminole FL 33772. The money goes directly to the DWAH non-profit foundation and is used for producing and distributing program information, brochures, and other materials. DWAH will send you all the materials you need to get started. ( Participation/Donation Form )
  2. Notify your current patients that you will be providing free care next Valentine’s Day or whatever day you choose. Let your patients know that you are doing it to help the less fortunate in your community and that you will also be collecting donations (on-perishable items or monetary) to benefit a local charity. (Hint: When choosing your local charity try to pick one that will appeal to the majority of your patients.) Encourage them to let their friends and relatives know about the free care. Get your staff, associates and other colleagues involved. You can do this with a letter or via the phone. Be sure to require that your patients make appointments for your DWAH day, so you can judge the volume of patients you’ll be seeing. If necessary, you may want to bring in outside help for the day.
  3. Promote the program in your community. Send a news release alerting your local newspapers, radio and TV stations that you are participating in the DWAH program with doctors from around the country. Your local newspapers may want to write a column or article about your community involvement, while your local radio and TV stations will want to broadcast interviews with you. Public relations like this will be a great help in getting the word out about your efforts for such a worthy cause. I receive dozens of calls every year from the press about individual doctors and their participation. Needless to say, I brag about the doctor’s unselfish dedication to helping sick people, garnering even more positive and well-earned publicity for that doctor.
  4. Make your Doctor’s With A Heart Day your most memorable day ever! By donating your time one day a year, you become a part of a nationwide service effort dedicated to showing the world that doctors care.

Everybody wins with this program.

  • The doctor wins because he/she gets the opportunity to help more people.
  • The patients who receive the healing care of chiropractic on DWAH day win.
  • And, the charity chosen to receive the collected donations also wins.

The spirit of community, humanity and volunteerism is alive and well in the ideals and actions of the doctors who participate in the Doctors With A Heart program.

Please help us help others. Your participation is strictly voluntary. Even if you are not able to conduct a Doctors With a Heart Day, your donation will help those in need by enabling us to reach more doctors and professionals who will be able to.

With Heartfelt Thanks,

 

Dr. Peter G. Fernandez
National Chairman

In recognition of his commitment and service to the organization, Dr. Peter Fernandez, long time member and National Chiropractic Director, was appointed chairman of Doctors With A Heart in 1991 by founder and retiring chairman, Dr. Duane Schmidt. If you would like more information on Doctors With A Heart, contact Dr. Peter Fernandez at 10733 57th Avenue North, Seminole, FL, 33772, 727-392-0822, or e-mail [email protected]