Embedded Files
La Clínica began in 1971 from the efforts put forth by a group of UC Berkeley students who recognized the gap of health care accessibility in lower-income populations. These students and several community members worked together to create a community-based clinic where they established a storefront clinic in East Oakland.
La Clínica began in 1971 from the efforts put forth by a group of UC Berkeley students who recognized the gap of health care accessibility in lower-income populations. These students and several community members worked together to create a community-based clinic where they established a storefront clinic in East Oakland.
When La Clínica was established, it started off as a small clinical operation with only a couple of hundreds of patients and a minimal staff, but the community supported the organization in anyway they could. Over the years La Clíncia expanded immensely, and now has sites in three different countries! In 2018 alone, La Clínica served over 90,000 patients!
When La Clínica was established, it started off as a small clinical operation with only a couple of hundreds of patients and a minimal staff, but the community supported the organization in anyway they could. Over the years La Clíncia expanded immensely, and now has sites in three different countries! In 2018 alone, La Clínica served over 90,000 patients!
Over the years!
Over the years!
1970s: Mission Driven
1970s: Mission Driven
In 1971, a group of UC Berkeley students and community activists came together to respond to the absence of healthcare services for monolingual Spanish speakers in East Oakland.
The group's goal was to improve the quality of life for the community by providing affordable and culturally competent health care.
La Clínica actually emerged from a larger student movement that was happening at the time, which was built on the beliefs of fighting systemic racism and healing racial inequities. La Clínica's original mission was based on the view of health care being a right.
1980s: Community Trust
1980s: Community Trust
Over the years, communities invited La Clíncia to them and asked to take over and help struggling health centers.
In 1984, La Clínica merged with San Antonio Neighborhood Health Center (SANHC). "As SANHC began facing budget challenges, it reached out to La Clínica to begin talks to merge operations to continue offering services in Oakland’s diverse San Antonio District"
La Clínica was in a good spot to be able to serve these new communities because of its years of dedication and serving low-income and immigrant families, and constantly growing community trust.
As a result of the merger, La Clínica had to adapt: its Board of Directors changed to ensure representation from San Antonio; the Mission Statement was modified to explicitly include the more diverse populations now being served
1990s: Advocacy
1990s: Advocacy
From the beginning, La Clínica faught and advocated for marginalized communities.
During the 1990s, there was an increase in anti-immigrant attitudes going on in California. In 1994, Californian voters passed proposition 187 which denied undocumented immigrants access to the state's public services like education and health care.
"La Clínica fought alongside unauthorized immigrant women against Proposition 187 as well as against then-California Governor Pete Wilson’s administration for its attempts to defund prenatal care for undocumented women through Medi-Cal. La Clínica filed the lawsuit and won. Proposition 187 was later ruled unconstitutional by a federal court and struck down."
2000s: Growth
2000s: Growth
With the beginning of the new millennium came critical opportunity for the organization to provide high quality health care for all.
La Clínica expanded its geographic reach, types of services provides and the diversity of people it served
In 2002, La Clínica opened additional sites in Contra Costa County (Pittsburg, Concord and Oakley) and its first of several in Solano County (Vallejo).
In 2003, La Clínica started operations of the dental clinic at Children’s Hospital in Oakland. The clinic is only one of two in California that offer specialized dental services to immunocompromised and special needs patients with Denti-Cal
Also in 2003, La Clínica opened an additional site in Contra Costa site in the Monument Corridor.
after more than 10 years of concrete planning, La Clínica completed its comprehensive La Clínica Fruitvale Village health center in the newly developed “Transit Village” at the Fruitvale BART Station.
2010s: Access
2010s: Access
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was a huge moment for community health centers across the county as millions of Americans finally gained access to affordable and high-quality preventive and primary care services, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay.
Community health centers, such as La Clínica, have been able to reach millions of new patients and experience a transformation in size, capacity, and services offered.
2020 and Beyond: Equity and Social Justice
2020 and Beyond: Equity and Social Justice
Despite the challenges of recent years, such as the ongoing COVID pandemic and other health crises, they've remained commited to fighting inequities and injustices for the communities. La Clínica promises to continue to "work to ensure our communities have access to the healthcare they need and deserve while also addressing the socioeconomic factors that impact their health and well-being."
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse