VENICE FAMILY CLINIC CELEBRATED COMPLETION OF RENOVATIONS AT ITS FLAGSHIP SITE NEWLY RENAMED THE CHUCK LORRE ROSE AVENUE HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTER.
Event Included Unveiling of Custom Mural by Local Artist Christina Angelina
VENICE, CA – (August 28, 2023) – Venice Family Clinic on Saturday celebrated the grand reopening of its Rose Avenue flagship clinic newly renamed the Chuck Lorre Rose Avenue Health and Wellness Center. Located at 604 Rose Avenue in Venice, this renovation was made possible by The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation’s generous support to remodel the 40-year-old clinic, inside and out.
The celebration included a ribbon cutting and open house that highlighted for the community how the improvements expanded the facility’s capacity to serve patients, enhanced public access to services and enabled more integration of those services. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by award-winning television producer Chuck Lorre. The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation is currently Venice Family Clinic’s largest donor. In recognition of Mr. Lorre’s long-time support, Venice Family Clinic CEO Dr. Mitesh Popat introduced the Rose Avenue location as the Chuck Lorre Rose Avenue Health and Wellness Center.
Purchased in 1983, the Rose Avenue location was Venice Family Clinic’s first permanent site and welcomes more patients annually than any of the nonprofit community health center’s 16 other sites. Currently, more than 11,000 of the 45,000 people the organization serves each year get comprehensive care at this location.
During the open house on Saturday, guests saw how the updates improved public access by moving the pharmacy to the ground floor and adding a community room for fitness classes and other group sessions. Venice Family Clinic staff explained that the revitalized facility enables them to integrate services more thoroughly because many of the refurbished rooms can now serve more than one purpose, and patients now stay in one place while various health care providers – including mental health specialists, case managers, care coordinators and health educators – come to them during their visit. The redesign also improved spaces for behavioral health and substance use services, and the updated Clinic now offers two showers for people experiencing homelessness to use before their appointments. A separate pediatric waiting room and dedicated pediatric exam rooms were also added during the renovation.
“We are truly grateful to Mr. Lorre for his unwavering commitment and remarkable generosity. His support, and the contributions of countless other donors and volunteers, empowers Venice Family Clinic to continue to bring comprehensive healthcare to people in need, across Los Angeles and beyond,” said Dr. Popat. “This renovation enhances our facilities to ensure they match the exceptional quality of health care services we provide and represents our significant investment in creating healthier communities.”
The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation has been one of the Clinic’s most generous donors over the past two decades, including a new matching gift that will double every donation to the 604 Fund, which supports the ongoing care at the Chuck Lorre Rose Avenue Health and Wellness Center.
“We are so proud to play a part in creating a welcoming and modern clinic where people can continue receiving the very best in primary health care at little or no cost,” Mr. Lorre said. “For 40 years, Venice Family Clinic’s Rose Avenue location has been a beacon of health and wellness in the community. This renovation will ensure it continues to shine for generations to come.”
The event also served as the official unveiling of a new custom art piece by Christina Angelina (also known as “Starfighter”), a Venice-based visual artist who was on hand for the event. Angelina’s photorealistic mural near the entrance depicts a compilation of hands of some of the Clinic’s actual patients, health care professionals and volunteers – a reflection of Venice Family Clinic’s commitment to the community it serves and the diversity of people who have impacted and been impacted by the nonprofit over the past 50 years.
Other support for the location’s revitalization included a $500,000 gift from S. Mark Taper Foundation and a $500,000 appropriation secured by U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu to help pay for furnishings and new technology at the site. The Milken Family Foundation and the Frederick R. Weisman Philanthropic Foundation were also recognized at the event for their vital roles in supporting the site from its early years.
The Clinic encourages everyone to donate to the 604 Fund. Anyone who donates $10 or more can have their name included on a digital art community wall inside the facility, designed to represent and honor the vibrant community that believes everyone deserves quality health care.
About Venice Family Clinic
Venice Family Clinic is a nonprofit community health center that is a leader in providing comprehensive, high-quality primary health care to more than 45,000 people in need annually, regardless of their income, insurance or immigration status. The Clinic merged with South Bay Family Health Care in late 2021 and serves an area from the Santa Monica Mountains through the South Bay in Los Angeles County. It has 17 sites located in Venice, Santa Monica, Mar Vista, Inglewood, Culver City, Redondo Beach, Carson, Gardena and Hawthorne, plus two mobile clinics and an expansive street medicine program for people experiencing homelessness. The Clinic’s comprehensive care also includes mental health services, dental care, vision services, substance use treatment, prescription medications, domestic violence counseling, HIV services, healthy food distributions, health education, health insurance enrollment, child development services and more.
Photo by Venice Paparazzi
