LIVEExpanding Healthcare Access for All
Saban Community Clinic (SCC) will soon open its new Family Health Center in Los Angeles. The Center will provide valuable, quality health care to thousands of families regardless of immigration status or ability to pay, including those who are living below the poverty line. The Clinic operates in a medically under-served area and will include medical, dental and behavioral health services, as well as nutrition counseling. The entire clinic will have a special focus on pediatric care to ensure local children are set on a healthier path.
In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
County of Los Angeles
In what stage of innovation is this project?
Expand existing program
If you are submitting a collaborative proposal, please describe the specific role of partner organizations in the project.
Although SCC is not submitting a formal collaborative proposal, SCC is a trusted safety net provider within Service Planning Area 4 (SPA 4) of Los Angeles County. SCC has a long history of collaborating with other area health care providers, in part through its membership in the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County. Additionally, SCC actively collaborates with other social service providers to link our patients to the services they need, including, but not limited to, legal services, food vouchers and transitional housing.
What is the need you’re responding to?
Health care should be a right, not a privilege. The need for quality, affordable health care continues to grow in Los Angeles. In 2017, the SPA 4 service area had the highest rate of childhood poverty in LA county. Poverty and poor health are inextricably linked. Parents in this area often have to choose between paying rent, buying groceries or getting health care. Over half a million people in SPA 4 struggle daily with economic distress and high rates of mental illness and chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension.
In addition to low income families, approximately 16,000 homeless people live or stay in SPA 4, which is the highest number in the County. In keeping with the area’s demographics, the vast majority of patients in need of health care access live at or near the federal poverty line, struggling to meet their basic needs. Without access to a community health center, many patients will fall through the cracks.
Why is this project important to the work of your organization?
Founded as The Los Angeles Free Clinic in 1967, our organization has built a reputable history in providing health care services to low-income, medically deprived people. Renamed in 2013 as Saban Community Clinic (SCC), SCC is now a prominent health care resource for those hardest hit by poverty. Last year, SCC supplied over $9 million dollars in free health care services and helped nearly 21,500 patients.
To meet the growing need for health care access, SCC will open the Family Health Center at 137 N. Virgil Avenue in a designated medically under-served area. The Clinic will serve vulnerable patients, including undocumented families and people experiencing homelessness.
In 2017, SCC earned PCMH Recognition at Level 3 (the highest) for all three sites from the National Committee for Quality Assurance. This is the gold standard of quality for Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers.
At SCC, we care deeply about helping our patients. With LA2050 support, we can help even more.
Approximately how many people will be impacted by this proposal?
Direct Impact: 1,400
Indirect Impact: 14,000
Please describe the broader impact of your proposal.
The Family Health Center has tremendous potential to improve community health. The site is in a low-income, high need area. Within SPA 4, about 30% of Latino adults report having no regular source of medical care. In the Center's zip code, over half the residents are Latino, and four out of every ten children live in low-income households. SCC’s Community Needs Assessment (2018) found that 16% of children in this area had never been to the dentist, and had an even greater need for mental health services.
Better health for one patient means better public health for their family, co-workers and community. The new Center answers the growing need for healthcare access, setting low-income families on the path to better health and well-being.
Please explain how you will define and measure success for your project.
At the new Family Health Center, SCC will provide medical, dental and behavioral health services to more than 1400 patients by July 2021. By 2024, the Clinic will be at full capacity and able to serve at least 3,360 additional patients each year. SCC anticipates being able to serve 1,300 dental patients once at full staffing capacity.
This project will mean that - in the first year alone - over 1400 patients and their families will have improved access to the important health care services they need!
No patient will be turned away if they can't pay. The Center will give low-income, vulnerable children the chance to see a pediatrician who specializes in childhood health issues, a dentist with a caring approach to improving their oral health, and a counselor who can help support them in dealing with anxiety. These are just a few of the ways that the Center can help local families.
The new Family Health Center will produce a measurable, positive impact on the health and well-being of vulnerable children, their families and their community in this part of LA County.
Finally, during the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, SCC has also been playing its role to provide critically important medical services to its patients. The dedicated doctors, nurses, medical assistants and other staff have been working tirelessly to make sure the most vulnerable get the help that they need. Public health matters to us all!
Which of the LIVE metrics will your submission impact?
Healthcare access
Access to mental health services
Are there any other LA2050 goal categories that your proposal will impact?
LA is the healthiest place to CONNECT
Which of LA2050’s resources will be of the most value to you?
Access to the LA2050 community
Host public events or gatherings
Communications support
Office space for meetings, events, or for staff
Capacity, including staff
Strategy assistance and implementation