Five decades ago, the Venice Family Clinic began as an ad hoc healthcare provider operating out of donated office space in a building on Lincoln Boulevard. But on Oct. 11, with 14 sites across the westside and more than 1 million low-income patients seen over the years, the Clinic will celebrate its 50th anniversary–a milestone with particular resonance in Beverly Hills. The non-profit’s growth over the last five decades has been propelled by a mix of philanthropy, advocacy, and support from the Beverly Hills community. With the on-going public health crisis and economic fallout, members of the Clinic say that support is more crucial than ever.
Long before Venice earned the name “Silicon Beach,” long before it heard the word gentrification or saw its first Tesla, the seaside town suffered from high rates of poverty and lack of access to healthcare.
