Partnership with the Southwest Health Center

Today's first stop on the 2010 Winter Caravan brought Ryan Speier, Danny Espinosa, Drew Storen, Jim Riggleman and Rob Dibble into Unity Health Care's Southwest Health Center, just a few blocks from Nationals Park. The facility serves all D.C. residents, regardless of their ability to pay for medical care. In December, nearly forty Nationals front office employees helped to refurbish and repaint the health center as part of a project with Rebuilding Together. The Southwest Health Center also recently received a grant from the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation. On Wednesday, Storen, Speier and Espinosa distributed books donated by the Heart of America Foundation for the clinic's waiting room. Screech joined the players to mingle with patients, sign autographs and take photographs. President and CEO of Unity Health Care Vincent Keane told the players he expected big things from them this year. "We're not going to put a lot of pressure on you, but we would love a pennant coming to us," he said. He also thanked the Nationals for their continued support. When developing the Dream Foundation's Neighborhood Initiative, Marla Lerner Tanenbaum noted that they wanted to be long term partners to deserving organizations that help children and families around Nationals Park, not simply "fair weather friends who stop by for a visit." City Councilman Tommy Wells of Ward 6 also thanked the Nationals and the Lerner family for their work in the community. Check our Facebook page soon for more pictures from the Nationals caravan.