December 9, 2024
VENICE FAMILY CLINIC CELEBRATES 2024 MILESTONES & CHARTS PATH FOR CONTINUED GROWTH IN 2025
Nonprofit Community Health Center Reflects on Past Year’s Progress Including Expanded South Bay Services and Increased Community Advocacy and Empowerment
INGLEWOOD – (December 9, 2024) – Venice Family Clinic, a nonprofit community health center serving 45,000 individuals from the Santa Monica Mountains to the South Bay, is celebrating 2024 as a year of growth, innovation and dedication to meeting critical health needs.
“Our work in 2024 demonstrates the profound impact we can have when we prioritize health equity and respond to the evolving needs of our communities,” said Dr. Mitesh Popat, CEO of Venice Family Clinic. “With the help of our volunteers, donors and local communities, we expanded our services in the South Bay, successfully advocated for our patients’ health, addressed food insecurity and broadened care for unhoused individuals while continuing to provide high-quality health care to underserved communities across Los Angeles County. As we look ahead to 2025, we remain committed to expanding access, addressing health disparities and ensuring everyone in Los Angeles County has the opportunity to lead a healthy life.”
Over the past year, the nonprofit community health center has made notable strides in addressing critical health needs across Los Angeles communities, including:
Expanding Partnerships and Services in the South Bay
As part of its ongoing expansion of services in the South Bay, the Clinic announced in February a new partnership with the Hawthorne School District to provide medical, mental health and wellness services to over 7,000 district students at York School’s Maxine Waters Health and Dignity Center. This collaboration is part of the Clinic’s ongoing initiative to transform schools into comprehensive service hubs for the communities they serve.
In response to rising mental health needs among youth both locally and nationally, Venice Family Clinic partnered with the Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) to provide mental health services to young people ages 12-25 on Medi-Cal or without health insurance at BCHD’s allcove Beach Cities site beginning in February. The collaboration expands access to mental health care to improve outcomes for young people struggling with mental health issues across the South Bay. The Clinic also expanded its SUMMIT program to South Bay locations, offering substance use treatment and counseling to more people in those communities, and further broadened its street medicine outreach in the region by partnering with Venice Community Housing to begin delivering care to unhoused individuals at a permanent supportive housing facility in Del Aire.
The nonprofit community health center also began construction on a new Early Head Start center in Inglewood this past year that will offer comprehensive child development services for pregnant people and families with children from birth to age three. Once the facility opens, the Clinic expects to provide center-based care — a gold standard for promoting development, socialization and comprehensive support — to an additional 108 children each year.
Recognizing that food is medicine, the Clinic expanded its Free Food Market program to Gardena in March to provide fresh produce and make it easier for South Bay residents to put nutritious food on the table for their families. It also updated this program at all locations in 2024 to give community members more choice in selecting which available fruits and vegetables they want. The Clinic now hosts at least eight free food markets each month across its service area, which distributed 994,667 pounds of produce in 2024 and have been instrumental in combating hunger in the region.
Advocating for Health and Community Empowerment
During the lead-up to the November election, Venice Family Clinic launched its inaugural “Vote for Your Health” initiative encouraging eligible community members to engage in the democratic process. The initiative included voter education, voter registration activities, official mobile vote centers and a panel discussion exploring how individuals’ voting decisions can impact their health and health care options. The Clinic also endorsed and successfully advocated alongside a large and diverse coalition of partners for Proposition 35, a landmark initiative that secured historic investments in California’s health care infrastructure.
In recognition of National Health Center Week, the Clinic hosted a series of free events in August aimed at raising awareness about the essential role community health centers play in improving access to medical care. These events offered school supplies, immunizations, healthy food, health care, insurance and CalFresh enrollment assistance and other vital services to underserved communities across multiple locations, including Culver City, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Santa Monica and Venice.
In June, Venice Family Clinic launched its HEART (Health + Art) initiative, recognizing the power of creativity and compassion coming together to advance health care for all. The inaugural HEART award was presented to U2’s The Edge and Morleigh Steinberg for exemplifying the spirit of HEART through their commitment to art and health equity. Simultaneously, the Clinic also hosted its 45th annual Venice Family Clinic Art Walk + Auction, with the event returning in person in Venice for the first time since 2019. Both events raised vital funds to support the Clinic’s mission, with Venice Art Walk alone raising over $24 million dollars since its inception in 1979 to support the Clinic’s community health care initiatives.
The Clinic also restarted in-person exercise programs in 2024, including a new Latin groove class and new walking groups at three clinic locations. The Clinic also provided care and guidance to its unhoused neighbors during homeless encampment breakups in response to the Supreme Court’s Grants Pass decision, which rules that cities can ban camping.
As it celebrates these 2024 achievements, Venice Family Clinic remains steadfast in its commitment to improving access to high-quality health care and its dedication to meeting the diverse needs of the communities it serves.
For more information about Venice Family Clinic and its initiatives, please visit venicefamilyclinic.org.
About Venice Family Clinic
Venice Family Clinic is a nonprofit community health center that is a leader in providing comprehensive, high-quality primary health care to more than 45,000 people in need annually, regardless of their income, insurance or immigration status. The Clinic serves an area from the Santa Monica Mountains through the South Bay in Los Angeles County. It has a network of clinic locations and Early Head Start centers in Venice, Santa Monica, Mar Vista, Inglewood, Culver City, Redondo Beach, Carson, Gardena and Hawthorne, plus mobile clinics and an expansive street medicine program to reach people experiencing homelessness. The Clinic’s comprehensive care also includes mental health services, dental care, vision services, substance use treatment, prescription medications, domestic violence counseling, HIV services, healthy food distributions, health education, health insurance enrollment, child development services and more. For more information, please visit VeniceFamilyClinic.org and follow on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.