New San Bernardino Clinic Already Bustling; Major Impact on Community
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, February 12 2024
Contact: Cabot Petoia, clpetoia@gmail.com, 828-899-9239
** To book an interview, contact clpetoia@gmail.com **
San Bernardino – Last month, St. John’s Community Health – a network of public health clinics serving South, Central, and East Los Angeles – announced the opening of a new full service health center in San Bernardino.
San Bernardino has one of the largest populations of people experiencing homelessness in the state of California, and 21 percent of the city lives below the poverty line. Additionally, while more than 40 percent of the city depends on Medi-Cal, less than a third of those on Medi-Cal have reliable access to health care.
Already, the clinic is seeing dozens of patients per day, including for dental and behavioral health services. St. John’s will also send a mobile clinic to nearby Indio beginning March 1, to provide comprehensive health care at schools, churches, and worksites for farmworkers.
“It is clear that people in San Bernardino are beyond ready to take control of their health,” said Jim Mangia, president and CEO of St. John’s Community Health. “We are looking forward to providing the holistic care people need and deserve, and building trust and a good reputation within the San Bernardino area.”
The following anecdotes are shared by St. John’s staff at the new clinic:
One patient revealed that he had refrained from seeking medical care in the area due to challenges in finding suitable healthcare options. He visited the new facility in San Bernardino when he realized it had the same name as his previous clinic in Los Angeles.
Another patient who had been a patient of St. John’s since 2011 expressed relief that a clinic has opened much closer to his home. He plans to sign his family up as patients, and will be telling his neighborhood about the services offered.
On the first day of the clinic being open, a woman who had been a patient 20 years ago in LA showed up as soon as she heard about the new clinic.