COMMUNITY CLINIC OF THE YEAR
ST. JOHN’S WELL CHILD AND FAMILY CENTER
St. John’s Well Child and Family Center (St. John’s) is an extraordinary network of federally qualified health centers (FQHC) that is leading the way in redefining what it means to deliver comprehensive healthcare to more than 100,000 low-income residents of South Los Angeles. Working to prevent disease, improve outcomes and foster community health, St. John’s is one of very few clinics in the nation that offers all patients access to high-quality primary medical, dental and behavioral healthcare, regardless of their insurance status, ability to pay for services, or immigration status.
The clinic has grown over the past 55 years from a volunteer-run pediatric clinic operating out of the back of St. John’s Episcopal Church with a budget of $160,000 to an independent community clinic network with 16 locations, 2 mobile clinics, and an annual operating budget of $75 million. Today St. John’s provides medical, dental, pediatric, women’s health, mental health, homeless health services, specialty clinic services for HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C and PrEP, transgender health services, STD testing and treatment, and many other programs that are critical to the South Los Angeles community it serves.
In 2018 alone, St. John’s provided more than 380,000 patient care and supportive service visits for more than 100,000 unduplicated patients. 89% lived below 200% of the federal poverty level; 58% were enrolled in Medi-Cal; 40.5% were uninsured patients; 32% were individuals enrolled in My Health LA; 19% were patients served in school-based health centers; 13% were individuals served from public housing sites; and 9% of patients were experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.
One of the things that distinguishes St. John’s from other health centers is its comprehensive, holistic, and innovative approach to health. The clinic has developed programs that not only broaden access to healthcare for all members of the community, but also address the many underlying social and environmental factors that influence and impact lasting patient health.
