About Young & Healthy

The problem with healthcare services in the Pasadena area is not one of availability, but of affordability and accessibility. One of the greatest obstacles to good health is poverty. In the Pasadena community, 33% of children are in need of the kind of care Young & Healthy provides.  The majority of children under 18 (54.7%) enrolled in Pasadena Unified Schools live in the area of town that claims the lowest per capita income and the greatest concentration of poverty.

Young & Healthy’s mission is to provide access to high-quality healthcare for uninsured and underserved children and families, and to improve the quality of life for all children in the greater Pasadena area through prevention, education, and enhanced healthcare services.

We believe

• it is the right of every child to have access to quality healthcare.
• that if enough people volunteer their expertise and services, the community can make a substantial difference in the lives of its children.
• that our mission can best be accomplished through collaboration with other community institutions.
• that it is our responsibility to advocate for children’s healthcare needs.

Our History & Our Purpose

Young & Healthy, a Pasadena-based 501 (c)(3), is an organization whose foundation was built upon the dedication and commitment of its volunteers.

Young & Healthy began in 1990 as a small group of 19 physicians who agreed to donate their time and services to Pasadena-area children who lacked access to medical and dental care. Today, the organization is now sustained by the generosity of a volunteer workforce of healthcare professionals that is 350 strong.

Young & Healthy is based on the two-fold conviction that every child should have access to quality healthcare regardless of their family’s income, and that giving a child early and consistent medical attention is an investment in the future of the community. Young & Healthy’s program arranges free medical, dental, and psychological services for low-income, uninsured children in Pasadena, South Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre. Generous volunteer physicians, dentists, therapists, optometrists, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals treat the children Young & Healthy refers to them free of charge in their own offices. They have proven that if enough people volunteer their services, a community can make a substantial difference in the lives of its children.

This past year, Young & Healthy was able to provide comprehensive direct and preventive health services, free-of-charge, to 13,759 Pasadena-area families, 1,314 of which received direct clinical services. Over the past year, each dollar of overhead was matched by an additional $.90 of donated in-kind services.

Since 1990, we have provided donated professional services valued at nearly $22,087,680 to more than 27,000 local children in need. Young & Healthy’s impact over a 30-year period sends a strong message to the entire community and beyond: Pasadena is our home, and in our house, no child shall go unserved.

Trauma Informed Care, Young & Healthy’s newest program, was begun to create a healthy community for children and families by addressing the negative effects of childhood trauma and help Pasadena become a Trauma-Informed Community.

Newsworthy

“What has happened in Pasadena is a dramatic statement of what can occur when people in a city decide to be a true community, by claiming responsibility for its most vulnerable members (its children).”                                       Pasadena Mayor, Bill Bogaard

“If you want to evaluate Young & Healthy’s success in providing free medical care to underprivileged children, you can check the numbers: thousands of children treated at no cost.”           Pasadena Outlook

Join Us in Making Pasadena Young & Healthy

When you choose to support Young & Healthy, you are choosing to provide our children with access to quality healthcare. You can support Young & Healthy by:

• Becoming a patron at our annual gala event;
• Sponsoring our annual mission-based fund-raiser, It’s Possible;
• Committing to a multi-year pledge;
• Joining the Alliance, Young & Healthy’s group of dedicated individuals who believe in investing in our community's future by providing all children access to quality healthcare.  Their mission is to offer philanthropic support, community outreach and unique resources to Young & Healthy.

Visit our website at https://yhpasadena.org/ to learn more about our programs and how we are making a difference for so many children in the Pasadena area.