Grantee Profiles
Venice Family Clinic
A Safety Net for the Uninsured
When it comes to health coverage, there is no more stark evidence of the growing gaps in our health care system than the needy patients who turn up every day at Venice Family Clinic, the largest free clinic in the nation.
“Our patients are typically working people who have jobs, children, and sometimes aging parents who depend on their loved one’s well-being,” said Elizabeth Benson Forer, CEO of the Venice Family Clinic, which serves Los Angeles’ Westside. “For many of them, our clinic is the only place they can turn to for help”.
The Clinic is leveraging a $40,000 core support grant from the Foundation to meet urgent needs. The funds support health management programs for patients with chronic conditions, and clinic doctors and educators teach patients how to prevent costly trips to the E.R. through diet, exercise, and regular medical care.
As rates of insurance from employers decline and premiums increase, Miller anticipates that larger numbers of uninsured adults will place greater demand on clinics, putting a premium on core support grants provided through the Foundation’s Community Clinics Initiative.
“When we receive unrestricted support, such as our grant from Blue Shield of California Foundation, we put that money where funding is otherwise scarce and people are in greatest need,” Forer said.
