In 1982, a group of community-based, non-profit health clinics – recognizing their shared values and concerns – came together to form the San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium (SFCCC). The creation of SFCCC allowed these clinics to pool their collective resources to address their needs and interests, and those of their patients, to local, state and national policy makers.
SFCCC works to lead and support the partnership in four core areas, each with distinct programs: access to care, workforce development, maximization of valuable resources and health policy. While SFCCC partner health clinics focus on patient care and preserving the well-being of the communities they serve, SFCCC promotes the health of our clinics - keeping them poised to adapt to a changing healthcare environment - so that their long-standing tradition of community care is preserved.
The California Endowment has launched a campaign to bring attention to the fact that all California residents need health care, regardless of their immigration and documentation status. SFCCC and its partner clinics are fully engaged in providing health care services to this population, as well as advocacy on the local and state level to make sure that everyone has access to care. In the attached video, students who were brought to California as children describe their aspirations, and what they need to get them there, including health care for their families.
At Lyon-Martin, we are fortunate to have a long, rich history of dedicated, hardworking advocates and health providers who have for over thirty years shaped this award-winning community health center that so many individuals rely on to this day. We started as a primary care clinic for lesbians and have expanded over the years to also serve low-income heterosexual women, bisexual women, and transgender individuals. We are blessed with the enduring legacy of our namesakes’ Phyllis and Del’s love and devotion to each other and our communities.
The room was filled with joyful sounds as SFCCC and its Partner Clinics celebrated its 30th Anniversary on Wednesday, August 8, 2012 and honored Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi for her 25 years in Congress! More than 200 people attended the gala reception that took place at the St. Francis Yacht Club including partner clinic board members, patients and their families; funders; elected and appointed officials; staff members; and friends and colleagues.
AmeriCorps VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965 and incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993, VISTA has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 40 years. VISTA members commit to serve full-time for a year at a nonprofit organization or local government agency, working to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses, strengthen community groups, and much more. With passion, commitment, and hard work, VISTA members create or expand programs designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty.
On June 9, 2011, a Dedication Ceremony was held to honor Ms. Elouise Westbrook and commemorate the opening of Westbrook Plaza, a new state-of-the-art building on Seventh Street, just north of Folsom, in San Francisco’s SOMA district. Westbrook Plaza is home to the new South of Market Health Center (SMHC), and 49 units of affordable housing through Mercy Housing California. It represents so much more than a place to live or receive medical care. It celebrates the coming together of a community –the dedication of the SMHC Board and Executive Director Charles Range, the efforts of the Fundraising Committee, the support of private donors, foundations, and the local and federal governments, a partnership between health and housing providers, and especially the passion of Ms. Elouise Westbrook.
On Wednesday, August 29, 2012 Eddie Chan, President and CEO of NEMS and his staff and John Gressman, SFCCC President and CEO, were pleased to welcome Starr Terrill, Health Director for Mayor Edwin Lee’s office and Cynthia Czerwin, Deputy Budget Director for a tour of the NEMS primary site at 1520 Stockton Street. NEMS, a SFCCC partner clinic, is one of the largest community health centers in the United States targeting the medically underserved Asian population.
