Venice Family Clinic is a free medical clinic

Free clinic

A free clinic is a medical facility offering community healthcare on a free or very low-cost basis in countries with marginal or no universal health care. Care is generally provided in these clinics to persons who have lower or limited income and no health insurance, including persons who are not...

 based in Venice

Venice, Los Angeles, California

Venice is a beachfront district on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is known for its canals, beaches and circus-like Ocean Front Walk, a two-and-a-half mile pedestrian-only promenade that features performers, fortune-tellers, artists, and vendors...

, Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

.

Founded in 1970 by Philip Rossman, MD, and co-founder Mayer B. Davidson, MD, it has grown from a single small storefront to eight sites in Venice, Santa Monica

Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...

, Mar Vista

Mar Vista, Los Angeles, California

Mar Vista is a district on the West Side of Los Angeles, California.-Geography and transportation:Mar Vista is near the center of LA's West Side. The city of Santa Monica lies to the northwest, West Los Angeles to the north, Palms to the northeast, Culver City to the east, Del Rey to the southwest,...

 and Culver City

Culver City, California

Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...

. With the help of 2,057 volunteers, including 493 physicians, the clinic served 24,424 patients in 103,517 visits in its fiscal year ending June 30, 2009.

Patients

The clinic serves low-income men, women, children, teens, and seniors who lack private health insurance. Its patients live primarily on the Westside of Los Angeles as well as other areas throughout Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County, California

Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...

.

• 74% have no health insurance
• 71% are minority group members
• 70% live below poverty
• 26% are children
• 17% are homeless

Services

Venice Family Clinic provides a wide range of services, from primary care, including medication, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care, and laboratory services, to dental care, vision care, and mental health services, as well as specialty care provided by volunteer physicians in such areas as cardiology

Cardiology

Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...

, dermatology

Dermatology

Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....

, ear/nose/throat, endocrinology

Endocrinology

Endocrinology is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions called hormones, the integration of developmental events such as proliferation, growth, and differentiation and the coordination of...

, neurology

Neurology

Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...

, gastroenterology

Gastroenterology

Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. The name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gaster , enteron , and logos...

, optometry

Optometry

Optometry is a health care profession concerned with eyes and related structures, as well as vision, visual systems, and vision information processing in humans. Optometrists, or Doctors of Optometry, are state licensed medical professionals trained to prescribe and fit lenses to improve vision,...

, ophthalmology

Ophthalmology

Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...

 and podiatry

Podiatry

Podiatry is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and lower leg. The term podiatry came into use first in the early 20th century United States, where it now denotes a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine , a specialist who is qualified by their...

.

Awards

Venice Family Clinic has received national accolades, including the California Healthcare Foundation's 2008 LEAP Award, the 2005 "Foster G. McGaw Prize" for Excellence in Community Service, sponsored by The Baxter International

Baxter International

Baxter International Inc. , is an American health care company with headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois. The company primarily focuses on products to treat hemophilia, kidney disease, immune disorders and other chronic and acute medical conditions...

 Foundation, the Cardinal Health

Cardinal Health

Cardinal Health, Inc., is a Fortune 500 health care services company based in Dublin, Ohio. Cardinal Health specializes in health care supply chain services, providing pharmaceuticals and medical products to more than 40,000 locations each day. The company is also a manufacturer of medical and...

 Foundation and the American Hospital Association

American Hospital Association

The American Hospital Association is an organization that promotes the quality provision of health care by hospitals and health care networks through such efforts as promoting effective public policy and providing information related to health care and health administration to health care...

; the President's Volunteer Action Award, and the Pew Primary Care Achievement Award.

Venice Art Walk & Auctions

Venice Family Clinic produces the annual Venice Art Walk & Auctions fundraising event, which was started in 1979 with the help of artists who resided in Venice and were patients of the clinic. The Venice Art Walk & Auctions, known originally as the Venice Art Walk, grew substantially over the years due to Venice's global notoriety as a major art scene. In 2010, the event featured a tour of more than 50 artists' studios and a silent art auction of over 400 donated works. It is typically held on the third weekend in May.

External links

• Official Venice Family Clinic Website
• Official Venice Art Walk & Auctions Website
• Liz Forer - Executive Director, Venice Family Clinic KCET Departures Venice