LOS ANGELES—(May 10, 2011)—The Women's Health Care Clinic at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) recently received the 2011 Kate Stephens Community Service Award for the education and outreach it provides to the women at the Flossie Lewis Center, an alcohol and drug abuse recovery facility located in Long Beach.
The Women's Health Care Clinic provides thousands of indigent, uninsured individuals with the necessary information and services to help them take control of their fertility, plan their families and meet their other reproductive health needs. Every year, its outreach staff conducts more than 200 health education workshops reaching more than 5,000 people at schools, colleges and facilities, such as the Flossie Lewis Center, at no cost to the programs.
"Congratulations to the outstanding staff and leadership at the Women's Health Care Clinic for this well-deserved honor," said David I. Meyer, PhD, LA BioMed president and CEO. "The medical care and counseling they provide are invaluable to the thousands of women and men who visit the clinic on campus. The Women's Health Care Clinic's outreach staff also provides vital health education through partnerships with programs that serve the homeless, recovering substance abusers and others who are struggling. The Women's Health Care Clinic is an important part of LA BioMed's service to the underserved, and we are proud to have it as one of our programs."
The Women's Health Care Clinic is located on the campus with LA BioMed, where it has about 17,000 patient visits per year. It serves a diverse population, and more than 95% of its patients have incomes below the federal poverty level. Anita Nelson, MD, is the clinic's medical director, and Kim Burtle, RN, CNM, serves as director of clinical services.
The Women's Health Care Clinic also reaches out to the community to provide health education on topics ranging from family planning and contraception to HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. The outreach staff, led by outreach coordinator Jennifer Haddad, MTP, provides the workshops in English and Spanish, distributes educational materials and gives participants an opportunity to sign up for an appointment at the clinic, if they want one.
The center's outreach workers have provided numerous educational programs at the Flossie Lewis Center, a residential substance abuse recovery program where women can stay with their children that is named for the mother of former Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill.
The Women's Health Care Clinic also participates in research projects contributing to the development of innovative tools, ideas, methods and treatments related to modern reproductive health technology. In recent years, new birth control methods, treatment for vaginal infection and menstrual cramps, as well as new ways of counseling patients have all been tested at the Women's Health Care Clinic.
For more information about the Women's Health Care Clinic, please visit www.womenshealthcareclinic.com
About LA BioMed
Founded in 1952, LA BioMed is one of the country's leading nonprofit independent biomedical research institutes. It has more than 150 principal researchers conducting studies into improved treatments and cures for cancer, inherited diseases, infectious diseases, illnesses caused by environmental factors and more. It also educates young scientists and provides community services, including immunization and childhood nutrition programs. LA BioMed is academically affiliated with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and located on the campus of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. For more information, please visit www.LABioMed.org.