Ca. Endowment Gives $300,000 to P.A.T.H.

Innovative New Clinic To Open Soon

   The California Endowment, the state’s largest health foundation, has awarded $300,000 to PATH’s new innovative clinic that will provide free health care geared specifically towards homeless people throughout Los Angeles County. Homeless individuals will receive immediate, preventive and educational health care and will have direct access to other services. The PATHHealth Clinic’s unique approach to health care includes working with homeless people to break the barriers that brought them to the streets. It will be operated by P.A.T.H. and located in the new PATHMall, a service center which houses 15 community agencies.
   “Homeless individuals will be able to receive the same benefits as any other local resident from this unique clinic,” states Joel John Roberts, Executive Director of P.A.T.H. “We have built a new kind of clinic by linking it with agencies that will provide substance abuse, legal, educational, mental health and vocational services.”
   The California Endowment grant will help to cover new equipment and the start-up costs of the facility. Medical students from the University of Southern California will volunteer their time to the clinic to provide essential services such as immunizations, cancer screening, tuberculosis testing, smoking cessation, nutrition and stress management.
   “P.A.T.H.’s effort to fill the gap in health resources for its clientele is to be commended,” said Gwen Walden, Senior Program Officer for The California Endowment. “The Endowment is pleased to provide funding for this project, which is very much in line with its mission of expanding access to health care for underserved individuals and communities.”
   The California Endowment was established in 1996 to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. The Endowment has regional offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno and San Diego with program staff working throughout the state. It makes grants to organizations and institutions that directly benefit the health and well-being of the people of California.
   Opening soon, the new PATHMall expects to serve over 10,000 homeless individuals each year. It will house the PATHHealth Clinic, the Gateways Mental Health Center, HIV/AIDS services, Travelers Aid Society, PATHFinders Job Center, the LAUSD Learning Center, Schools on Wheels, Century LIFT, a Homeless Court, CLARE Foundation, legal services, and referrals for affordable housing. It is anticipated that it will serve as a model for effective collaborative efforts in which nonprofits, individuals, businesses and government can work together to help homeless people become self-sufficient.
   P.A.T.H.’s mission is to help homeless people find work, save money, secure housing and take control of their lives. It operates programs in Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, Hollywood, West Hollywood, South Central Los Angeles and the Antelope Valley.