Venice Family Clinic, South Bay Family Health Care Agree To Merge

REDONDO BEACH, CA — Venice Family Clinic and South Bay Family Health Care, leaders in providing comprehensive primary care to people in need, announced Thursday that the board of directors of both nonprofit organizations have agreed to merge.

The two community health centers will join forces later this year to create one unified organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of their patients in the Westside and South Bay community.

Each organization has been an anchor in its community for more than 50 years. This decision comes after thoughtful research and planning by both organizations to determine how it would work and how it would affect the patients, staff and communities of each.

“We will be stronger together, which will result in better, more comprehensive care for our patients,” Jann Hamilton Lee, CEO of South Bay Family Health Care, said in a news release. “From years of collaborating, we know that our organizations are aligned in mission, values, and culture, and share a profound commitment to delivering care with compassion, dignity and respect.”

Patients of both health centers can expect the same quality care, both during the transition and after the merger is complete. The unified organization will bring an expanded set of vital programs and services to patients.

South Bay Family Health is one of a few sites in Los Angeles County that offers CenteringPregnancy™ and CenteringParenting™, a patient-centered approach that is proven to yield better outcomes for prenatal patients and to reduce racial disparities in preterm births. Venice Family Clinic is a pioneer in serving the distinct needs of people experiencing homelessness and is a local leader in street medicine, which brings health care directly to people who currently lack housing. Venice Family Clinic offers services throughout Culver City, Santa Monica, Venice and people throughout the Westside.

“South Bay Family Health Care and Venice Family Clinic have built strong legacies of finding innovative ways to care and advocate for our patients, regardless of their ability to pay or immigration status,” Elizabeth Benson Forer, CEO at Venice Family Clinic, said in a statement. “Joining forces presents many opportunities for us to grow as we learn from each other and make an even greater impact on the lives of the people we serve.”

The two organizations currently serve a total of 45,000 patients in neighboring service areas, with some current areas of overlap. The combined organization will provide care to a contiguous service area that stretches from Los Angeles County’s South Bay to the Santa Monica Mountains. The goal is to expand within that service area to provide quality health care to others whose need for health care remains unmet.

Completing the merger is subject to customary closing conditions, including securing necessary regulatory approvals, the groups said.

The Venice Family Clinic has grown from a small storefront operation into one of Los Angeles’ leading community health centers, providing care to 27,000 people annually through 14 sites in Venice, Santa Monica, Mar Vista, Inglewood, Culver City and Hawthorne.

The clinic has provided food and fresh meals to people throughout the pandemic, even collaborating with UCLA Dining to serve up ready-to-eat meals five days a week.

VFC offers a variety of services, often at the same locations and same time as primary care appointments. These services include dental care, substance use treatment, mental health services, vision services, child development services, health education, prescription medications, domestic violence counseling, HIV services, street medicine for people experiencing homelessness and health insurance enrollment. For more information, visit VeniceFamilyClinic.org.

South Bay Family Health Care is a leading community clinic system that offers high-quality, low- and no cost health care to economically disadvantaged and uninsured populations in Los Angeles County’s South Bay and Harbor Gateway communities. Since its founding more than 50 years ago as a family planning free clinic, SBFHC has grown to include three full life cycle primary care clinics in Redondo Beach, Gardena, and Inglewood, an OB/GYN and Pediatric Clinic in Inglewood and a high school-based clinic in Carson. It provides a full range of culturally competent primary care and supportive services. For more information, visit sbfhc.org.