La Clinica del Pueblo

La Clinica initially began in 1983 with the influx of El Salvadorans into the DC area. Today, Central American immigrants continue to seek refuge in this area due to the violence and poverty experienced in their countries of origin. Our expertise has been and continues to be in trauma-informed care, and responding to the evolving issues Latino immigrants face in this area.

83% of our patients are served best in a language other than English, 35% are uninsured, and 84% have a household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty line. Ethnic disparities in health status for Latinos are especially notable in issues such as chronic diseases. According to the CDC, half of Latino adults in the U.S. are expected to develop Type 2 diabetes in their lifetime. Moreover, they are 50% more likely to die from diabetes than their white, non-Latino counterparts. Historical trends of Latino migration to this region have included a disproportionate number of people of rural origin, who have had little access to education and social services in their home countries and have suffered from exposure to violence, forced migration, and entry into an unfamiliar society. Consequently, there is significant demand for La Clínica’s physical and behavioral health services. Meanwhile, gang violence and poverty in Central America continue to drive migration, which, combined with high birth rates, has meant Latinos remain the fastest growing minority in the region, meaning demand for La Clínica’s culturally appropriate services continues to outstrip capacity.

There are too many individuals who still cannot receive the care they need due to such factors as their immigration status, language, and economic ability. La Clinica exists for these individuals. We believe health is a human right and we seek to provide health for those who need it most.

La Clinica is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that provides the full scope of primary care services, mental health care and wrap around support. Medical services focus on preventive care as well as chronic disease management. Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and HIV are areas of expertise as the most prevalent chronic diseases affecting our target population. Our Mental Health treatment services include: individual and couples therapy, and psycho-educational group programs that specialize in family trauma, separation/re-unification, depression and PTSD; as well as a school-based mental health services program for unaccompanied minors.

Additionally, our substance use program, is the only bilingual substance use program serving the Latino community in the DC Metropolitan area.
Our Community Health Action (CHA) identifies, educates, and engages members of the community through health promotion and wellness activities, women’s reproductive health and gender-based violence prevention, LGBTQ empowerment, HIV/AIDS testing, counseling and referral, and chronic disease management.
La Clinica has pioneered language access programs in the District, and has served the needs of Limited English Proficient patients ensuring language isn't a barrier to receiving care.

In addition to direct service, La Clinica advocates for systems change in the health sector that can result in increased access and health equity for the Latino immigrant community.

Your support will help in covering medical and mental health costs for thousands of uninsured patients; wrap around supports such as insurance enrollment and navigation to specialists; school supports for youth attending high school for the first time; safe spaces for Latinx LGBTQ young adults and Latina survivors of domestic violence. Many of the health issues we address are preventable with comprehensive care. Your support ensures our community members are receiving the care when and where they need rather than waiting to late in the game. When all members of our community are healthy our communities thrive. You can make that difference.

While a small health center in comparison to some of our peers, La Clinica has a large reach as it is deeply ingrained in the community. We provide more than 100,000 clinical and community encounters across the DMV and continue to evolve and design programmatic responses to the issues our community faces. With more than 90% of our patient base identifying as Latino, we partner, convene, and raise our collective voices to shine a light on the need for immigrant health equity.

This summer, La Clinica was proud to be awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for achieving the “Best Overall Clinical Performance among All Health Centers” and placing in the top 30% of rankings for “Clinical Quality Measures.” This is the fourth year running that La Clínica has received awards from HRSA for the high quality of care we provide. The main impact of these strategies has been above-average clinical outcomes for our patients. 72.56% of our hypertensive patients had controlled blood pressure at their latest appointment (compared to the national average of 61%) and 73% of our diabetic patients had controlled A1C levels (compared to the national average of 67%).

We are also incredibly proud of our school-based mental health program, where 99% of senior participants graduated from high school and are on a healthy path with a bright future.

As a Federally Qualified Health Center, La Clinica is evaluated regularly. Additionally, we receive annual auditing by independent accountants. Our IRS 990s, annual reports, and financial statements are all available on our website.

We value all levels of support and welcome opportunities to engage and see your impact first hand.