Venice Family Clinic is a free medical clinic based in Venice, Los Angeles, California.
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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, Mar Vista and Culver City. 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.
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, dermatology, ear/nose/throat, endocrinology, neurology, gastroenterology, optometry, ophthalmology and podiatry.
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 Foundation, the Cardinal Health Foundation and the American Hospital Association; 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.