Universal Community Health Center

Universal Community Health Center opened its doors in 2007, with just one clinic. Formally incorporated in 2009 by Dr. Edgar Chavez, Chief Executive Officer, Universal Community Health Center (UCHC) is a non-profit (501(c)(3) Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) serving families in South Los Angeles. In 2010, UCHC became an FQHC look alike, and in 2015 opened its second clinic, the San Pedro site. In 2017, UCHC became a HRSA deemed grantee, and in 2018 updated its scope of services to include Behavioral Health. UCHC has since expanded to operate six (6) health center locations and a mobile health clinic. Mission- To provide quality and accessible healthcare to under-served communities and to provide a patient centered model of care to empower communities towards wellness. Vision- Comprehensive Care for all UCHC’s service delivery model provides comprehensive services across all life cycles with a focus on prevention and empowerment of patients to take charge of their health and to lead healthier lifestyles. Services include primary and behavioral health care, including health screenings, family planning, gynecological care, and well-child visits. In addition, UCHC strives to assist its patients with practical arrangements for additional and supporting services including transportation, translation, referrals for primary and specialty care, case management, remote patient monitoring, chronic disease management for diabetes and hypertension, and assistance with understanding and adhering to provider-recommended care plans. And more recently, UCHC offers Covid-19 testing and vaccinations. UCHC continues to be based on meeting the specific healthcare needs of South LA, which includes residents of disadvantaged communities with many barriers to accessing services. Furthermore, linguistically appropriate service is a priority at UCHC. Spanish/English speaking staff members are actively recruited for each area of health center operations, and local residents are hired whenever possible. The vast majority of clinic staff live within our service area. Universal Community Health Center’s service area encompasses more than 1.15 million residents and more than 306,000 households. Though UCHC grew exponentially in 2020, providing for preventative, routine medical care and the urgent needs of community members most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, tremendous unmet need still remains a threat to our collective wellbeing. Understanding that physical health, mental health, and a high quality of life are interrelated aspects of a person’s overall wellbeing, UCHC has forged extensive relationships with a growing network of service providers in the community which are critical to effective comprehensive care. UCHC is an authorized provider of several public programs including: Child Health and Disability Program (CHDP), Comprehensive Perinatal Service Program (CPSP), Family Pact for family planning. These partners and services include the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. Other community partners and services include the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program,employment services, housing services, food assistance, domestic violence services, substance abuse and recovery programs; senior programs; regional centers; family resource centers, and a variety of other social service organizations.