About Us
History
Since 1981, South Central Family Health Center (SCFHC) has played a major role in filling the void for comprehensive health services in the historically underserved and uninsured population of South Los Angeles. The services provided directly address healthcare issues prevalent among geographically and economically disadvantaged individuals and families.
Since its inception, SCFHC has been in the forefront committed to addressing healthcare disparities in a competent and linguistically appropriate manner. SCFHC has more than 252 staff members of which 35 are clinicians who provide the direct medical services, treatment and care to patients.
In 2002, SCFHC was designated as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) 330 Clinic. Such qualifications require adhering to strict Government standards of providing quality comprehensive service delivery and detailed reporting directly to the Federal Government.
What is an FQHC?
Spread across 50 states and all U.S. territories, more than 1,300 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) provide vital primary care to more than 25 million Americans with limited financial resources.
Directed by boards with majority consumer membership, FQHCs focus on meeting the basic health care needs of their individual communities. They maintain an open-door policy, providing treatment regardless of an individual’s income or insurance coverage.
FQHCs serve community residents from all walks of life, including people enrolled in employer-based insurances, Medi-Cal, Medicare or public health insurances. We also serve people with limited resources who struggle to access care through traditional channels, including the homeless, residents of public housing and others with emergent and chronic health care needs.
Health centers provide substantial benefits to their communities:
- They serve a third of low-income, uninsured people
- Over 70% of their patients live in poverty
- They provide comprehensive care, including physical, dental, and mental health care
- They save the national health care system $24 billion a year by helping patients avoid emergency rooms and making better use of preventive services.