Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD) has been for almost a half century, a trusted place for parents to bring their children for care. FHCSD has come a long way from when our founder, Laura Rodriguez, helped stage a sit-in at the original clinic location to bring needed medical care services to the children of Barrio Logan and surrounding communities. Volunteer doctors, hand-me-down furniture and donated medical supplies helped the Chicano Free Clinic in its early years. Back then, the clinic only had one location and provided less than 2,000 total medical visits a year. Now, with 23 clinics and over 100 service sites, it is no question our clinic system has grown, and so have the needs of our “littles”.
In 2016, over 110,000 medical visits were provided to children under the age of 18. Our mental health teams compassionately provided almost 14,000 mental health visits to our kids this past year. Our pediatricians cite developmental delays as one of the highest priorities in children from low socio-economic neighborhoods. FHCSD’s ancillary service system responded with over 46,000 visits to children in the areas of physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, audiology and developmental screenings. Over 3,200 vision care appointments were rendered in 2016 and over 14,000 dental appointments, including protective sealants to prevent future cavities, were provided in that same period.
All in all, I think Laura would be proud of FHCSD today. She would be proud of how the Board, staff, volunteers and donors picked up where she left off, and continued to champion the cause of quality medical care for the “littles” of our communities.
We are grateful for those who generously gave during the holiday time to support our mission. However, our needs are not just one month out of each year. For anyone who is a parent, we know, the needs of children are year-round. Please consider gifting to our health centers and our mission with a monthly contribution to support the important work with our smallest patients.
Maya Angelou said, “The word philanthropy was taken from the two Greek words, philo –lover of; and anthro – mankind. So, philanthropists are lovers of humanity. They build imposing edifices for people to work and play in. They give huge sums of money to support organizations which offer better health and education to the society. They are the principal patrons of the arts. The mention of philanthropy elicits smiles…….”
I personally invite you to help us in our mission of bringing smiles to the faces of the “littles” in our community. After all, the care of children is a community’s historic responsibility.
“CEO’s Corner: An Update from Fran” is a regular feature of Adelante, our monthly newsletter. Please check our Adelante archives for additional columns and keep an eye out for featured ones appearing in this blog!
