What Is the Dean Foundation?

The Dean Foundation was established more than 20 years ago as a nonprofit organization. The foundation’s mission is to improve healthcare and health education, advance clinical research, and develop charitable activities as needed in the community.

Health Education

The Passenger Safety Program is the largest health education program at the foundation. This program promotes safety in the community by offering lifesaving education to parents and children in a creative and fun context. Characters such as Buckle Bear and Crash Helmet^® make it easy and fun for children to learn to wear their seat belt or wear a helmet when riding a bike.

Another health education program is the Every Ride a Safe Ride Program. This program is a child passenger safety service that is available to the public. The program features:

• Affordable car seat rentals for children from birth weight to 80 pounds
• Free inspections for drivers who have their own child safety seat
• Restraints for children with special transportation needs

For more information on child passenger safety, please call our passenger safety educator at 608-827-2327.

In addition to the child-focused programs, the Dean Foundation doctors enjoy speaking at local organizations and centers on various health topics such as asthma, depression and Alzheimer’s.

Research

Dedicated to quality clinical research, the Dean Foundation, in partnership with Dean Health System physicians, conducts psychiatric, medical and device research for major pharmaceutical companies, universities and the National Institutes of Health. All studies are regulated by the Dean Institutional Review Board, who ensure study participants’ confidentiality and provide complete information about each study, such as potential benefits, risks and alternative treatments. For specific information about the Dean Foundation’s research studies, contact the foundation directly at 608-827-2300 or visit their Website at www.dean.org.

Charitable Activities

The Dean Foundation is very serious about helping the underserved live healthier lives. That is why the foundation created three free clinics to serve different areas of need:

• The Benevolent Specialists Project (BSP) Free Clinic

  is dedicated to providing quality secondary or specialty healthcare to uninsured and low-income patients. Patients are referred to the clinic by a primary care practitioner in Dane County and surrounding communities. More than 34 volunteer retired physicians offer their specialty services at the clinic. To learn more about the BSP–Free Clinic, please call the clinic manager at 608-827-2308.

• The Dean/St. Mary’s Neighborhood Asthma Clinic

  helps the medically underserved properly treat their asthma. A cooperative effort between Dean Medical Center, Dean Health Plan and St. Mary’s Hospital, the clinic also works to educate people about asthma and provide a resource center for the community. For more information about the clinic, please call the asthma project nurse educator at 608-446-3344.

• The Middleton Teen Clinic

  provides area teens with a variety of free health services. Among the services are comprehensive examinations for school and sports; treatment for injuries as well as physical and mental illnesses; and therapy for sexual issues, including sexually transmitted diseases and birth control. For more information about the Middleton Teen Clinic, please visit www.dean.org.

For specific information about any of the Dean Foundation’s research or programs, call the foundation’s main office at 608-827-2300 or visit its Website at www.dean.org.

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