Venice Family Clinic is a

community health center A healthcare center, health center, or community health center is one of a network of clinics staffed by a group of general practitioners and nurses providing healthcare services to people in a certain area. Typical services covered are family pr ...

based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Founded in 1970 by volunteer physicians Philip Rossman, MD, and Mayer B. Davidson, MD. Venice Family Clinic began operations in a borrowed storefront dental office after normal business hours. It is now the largest community health center in coastal Los Angeles, providing comprehensive primary care to people from the Santa Monica Mountains through the South Bay. It has 17 sites in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to i ...

, Mar Vista, Culver City, Inglewood, Redondo Beach, Carson and Gardena. As of December 2022, the chief executive officer of Venice Family Clinic is Mitesh Popat, MD MPH.

People the Clinic serves

The clinic cares for individuals and families with low or no income, regardless of their insurance or immigration status. The Clinic' patients come from across Los Angeles County. The Clinic served more than 45,000 people in its fiscal year ending June 30, 2022. * 91% live below 200% of the

federal poverty level In the United States, poverty has both social and political implications. In 2020, there were 37.2 million people in poverty. Some of the many causes include income inequality, inflation, unemployment, debt traps and poor education.Western, B ...

* 36% speak Spanish as their primary language * 25% are children * 11% are seniors * 11% are experiencing homelessness

Programs and Services

Venice Family Clinic provides a wide range of high quality programs and services, including comprehensive primary care, dental care, vision care, and behavioral health care, as well as substance use treatment, prescription medications, domestic violence counseling, HIV services, healthy food distributions, health education, health insurance enrollment, child development services and more. It also has a dedicated street medicine program that provides medical care to people experiencing homelessness in its service area.

Awards

Venice Family Clinic has received national accolades, including being recognized as a

Federally Qualified Health Center A Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) is a reimbursement designation from the Bureau of Primary Health Care and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. This designation is si ...

(FQHC), Designated 330e, 330h and 330i Community Health Center, and Patient Centered Medical Home (NCQA Level 2 Recognition). The clinic has also been honored to receive the American Hospital Association's Foster G. McGaw Prize, The Pew Charitable Trust's Primary Care Achievement Award,

American Psychiatric Association The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the largest psychiatric organization in the world. It has more than 37,000 members are involv ...

’s Advancing Minority Mental Health Award, and the

California Health Care Foundation Based in Oakland, California, the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) is an independent, nonprofit philanthropy that focuses on improving the health care system for the people of California, especially low-income Californians. The organizat ...

's LEAP (Leveraging Excellence, Advancing Practice) Award.

Venice Family Clinic Art Walk & Auction

Venice Family Clinic produces the annua
Venice Art Walk & Auction
fundraising event, which was started in 1979 with the help of artists who resided in Venice and were patients of the Clinic. Venice Family Clinic's Art Walk & Auction, known originally as the Venice Art Walk, grew substantially over the years due to Venice's global notoriety as a major art scene. Venice Art Walk is typically held in the spring each year. It features contemporary art works from established, mid-career and emerging artists. The event has evolved over time from a one-day community event in Venice into a two-week exhibition that also includes an online auction.

References

External links

Official Venice Family Clinic Website

Official Venice Art Walk & Auction Website
* *

KCET Departures Venice {{Authority control 1970 establishments in California Healthcare in Los Angeles Organizations established in 1970 Health centers Clinics in California