Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization rich in history and tradition. In 1911, the San Diego Industrial School was built on the site where our first clinic now stands. This school was originally a settlement house that provided Barrio Logan’s immigrant residents with social services. The community grew around this location, and by 1940, Barrio Logan had become one of the largest Mexican-American communities on the West Coast.
In October 1970, Laura Rodriguez and a group of community members sought to bring much-needed medical services to Barrio Logan. The day the group began occupying the building, Laura had attended a Barrio Logan Community Action Committee meeting where she passionately advocated that it should function as the site of a community health clinic. When the request fell on deaf ears, the protest was initiated that evening. Other community members, including several fearless abuelitas, participated in the building occupation by remaining inside overnight. When the police arrived, none dared arrest the grandmothers.
After eight days of occupation, succeeded in negotiations with the City of San Diego and the community. This led to the gifting of the building to the community of Barrio Logan and the establishment of the Chicano Free Clinic. Medical care delivery began two evenings a week, and the health center saw approximately 150 patients each month.
This building eventually became Logan Heights Family Health Center, the flagship clinic of Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD). FHCSD has since transformed into the tenth largest health centers in the country, providing care to over 227,000 patients each year, of whom 91% are low-income and 29% are uninsured.