Los Angeles, CA. From providing medical care to only 12 patients in a borrowed dental clinic on Lincoln Boulevard to operating 13 different locations and serving nearly 28,000 patients, Venice Family Clinic has come a long way in the past 50 years. To celebrate all the work they’ve accomplished, Venice Family Clinic invited their biggest supporters to a virtual celebration hosted by Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg in October.
Without the work of the Venice Family Clinic, 28,000 people could go without the healthcare and resources they need to live safe and healthy lives.
The clinic provides primary health care along with a number of extensive services including substance abuse treatment programs, domestic violence programs, early head start programs for mothers and their newborn children, and more. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the clinic has pivoted to providing telemedicine services for 50% of their appointments in order to limit the number of people who come into the clinic. Michelle Stuffmann, Communications Director, says how the clinic and its’ team are “trying to make sure that we are doing everything we can to keep both our patients and our workers healthy and safe.”
Venice Family Clinic celebrates 50th anniversary with virtual festivities (Picture by Venice Family Clinic)
The celebration showcased who the clinic is and what the clinic does while also raising donations in honor of the clinic. “The kick-off was tremendously successful, we had a generous donor who put up a million dollars to inspire matching gifts, and I am thrilled to say that we met that match”, Stuffmann shares. In addition to their virtual kick-off party, the clinic also hosted a week of action inspiring volunteers and supporters to perform acts of kindness for their community. Participants gave donations, purchased items off of the clinic’s amazon wishlist, put together care packages for patients experiencing homelessness, and more, all in service of the clinic and its’ patients.
Venice Family Clinic distributing fresh produce at Culver City location (Picture taken from Venice Family Clinic)
Venice Family Clinic recently started doing small distributions of fresh produce, a project which has grown immensely in the face of the pandemic. As a result of the community’s growing need, the clinic has expanded its food distribution to every Tuesday at their location in Santa Monica, and every other Thursday at their health center in Culver City. Stuffmann says there is no need to sign up, “we are in the community, by the community, for the community, so whether or not you are our patient or not, if you need help, just come to the distribution and we will give you food.” The clinic provides produce to 18,000 people a week and just recently made a partnership with UCLA dining services to provide full meals to 10,000 patients a week.
From Venice Family Clinic:
