BILL GRAHAM MEMORIAL FOUNDATION--Grant Recipients

Rock Medicine
A program of the Haight Ashbury Free Clinics
"Health Care is a Right, Not a Privilege"

logo Rock Medicine provides medical and crisis intervention services ranging from public health and primary care to acute life support for concert goers, venue staff, musicians and their crews at several San Francisco Bay Area (and occasionally beyond) amphitheaters, arenas, stadiums, and clubs. Some have likened the volunteer-staffed organization to an "urgent care center," a front line station where patients come for minor illness or injury and/or transport to a hospital when necessary.

Rock Medicine was created in 1973 at the behest of Bill Graham, when staff and volunteers from the Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic and the Drug Detoxification/Aftercare programs set up an emergency care tent at a Grateful Dead concert in San Francisco's Kezar Stadium. This concert, and a subsequent Led Zeppelin show, became models for the later Days on the Green that Bill, who was the first patron and major donor of HAFCI, went on to produce. These "DOGS" were the prototype for the outdoor concerts that have evolved into contemporary rock 'n roll tours. Rock Medicine provides stabilization services for "errors in judgment" in the areas of substance use and abuse. Rock 'n roll by its very nature is an emotional form of entertainment and people have a tendency to over-indulge, especially the young, the inexperienced, and the damn foolish. Co-founder Dr. George "Skip" Gay expresses the Rock Med philosophy well: "Take care of individuals right now and return them to their friends and family; do away with the necessity of either hospitalizing them or getting them involved with the law." For most people, a substance-related encounter with Rock Medicine is a one-time occurrence; for others referrals are offered to long-term recovery programs.

Rock Medicine is an all-volunteer organization with a paid director and three part-time show coordinators. Well over 600 active volunteers range from physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, paramedics, EMTs, crisis intervention clinicians, to bookkeepers, network administrators and many other CPR-certified individuals. Because Rock Medicine's volunteers include physicians, it can offer a wider range of services than other event medical organizations. Rock Medicine offers many opportunities for training and education for volunteers. For those entering the medical field, Rock Med offers experience that is unique and comprehensive. Rock Medicine is recognized as a standard of care for event medical organizations, with past and present volunteers staffing hospitals, ambulances, fire departments, and other emergency organizations throughout Northern California and the rest of the country. Volunteers have used their Rock Medicine experience for entry into medical schools and for job promotions. Many institutions recognize Rock Medicine as community service; some give credit for academic advancement and job enhancement. Rock Medicine has permanent facilities at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, the Sacramento Valley Amphitheater in Marysville, The Fillmore and Warfield Theaters in San Francisco. Other venues include Mountain Winery in Saratoga, and most large rock and roll shows at the ARCO Arena (Sacramento), Oakland Arena, and Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Rock Medicine also provides services at large shows in any field, fairground, or back alley where someone can set up a stage and play long enough for others to get injured or in trouble.

Rock Medicine
612 Clayton Street,
San Francisco CA 94117

Director: Glenn "Raz" Raswyck, EMT
Telephone: 415-487-3681
www.rockmed.org