Today is National Doctors’ Day, a day to celebrate the contributions of physicians who serve our country by caring for its’ citizens. Child Crisis Arizona is fortunate to have multiple doctors to celebrate.
Child Crisis Arizona was founded by a doctor and his colleagues in the medical community and we have received pro bono and volunteer medical services throughout our 39 years of operation. Please help us in thanking the medical staff who help to keep the children of Child Crisis Arizona healthy and safe each day.
The late Dr. John (Kipp) Charlton was a community advocate for children and families and brought together a group of community volunteers who launched a public education campaign to convince a wary public that child abuse and neglect existed in our community. Under Kipp’s leadership, Crisis Nursery, Inc. (now Child Crisis Arizona) opened in 1977. Despite having a full-time job as a doctor and teacher at Maricopa Medical Center, Kipp was a regular fixture at Crisis Nursery, Inc., and donated more than 10,000 hours of service throughout the years.
Child Crisis Center (now Child Crisis Arizona) was created by the Mahnah Club of Mesa, a small group of dedicated women, focused on serving the community and finding a safe place for abused and neglected kids in the East Valley. Betty Kerr was one of the key players in the design of the concept and implementation of the organization. Her husband Dr. John Kerr, along with Dr. John Danforth, provided essential pro bono medical services for the kids staying at the shelter for many years.
Dr. Delphis C. Richardson is a partner and general pediatrician with Mesa Pediatrics and is President of the Arizona Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Richardson was the Volunteer Medical Director of the Mesa Emergency Children’s Shelter for many years, provides gratis medical care for the children of Child Crisis Arizona and formerly served on the board of directors.
Dr. Prabodh Hemmady, is the Director of Children’s Services at Maricopa Medical Center and Child Crisis Arizona’s Volunteer Medical Director. Dr. Hemmady went to medical school at Boston University and came to Arizona for his residency where he was taught and mentored by Dr. Kipp. Dr. Hemmady’s office is across the parking lot from the Phoenix Emergency Children’s Shelter and he visits the kids at the shelter on a regular basis. “I feel like my role as medical director is far less important than the staff over there. They are really the critical people and I really do feel it’s such an important place in this community,” says Dr. Hemmady.
