Venice Family Clinic Explained

Venice Family Clinic is a community health center based in Los Angeles, California.

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, Santa Monica, 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.

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 (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’s Advancing Minority Mental Health Award, and the California Health Care Foundation's LEAP (Leveraging Excellence, Advancing Practice) Award.

Venice Family Clinic Art Walk & Auction

Venice Family Clinic produces the annual 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.

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