Councilman Lee launches partnership to offer health care to residents

Councilman John Lee and the Mission City Community Network Thursday launched a partnership to bring health care to underserved residents in the northwest San Fernando Valley, starting with a dental clinic.

“For many uninsured and low-income families in the Valley, access to health care and social services is still a struggle,” Lee said. “I am proud to partner with Mission City Community Network and join their efforts to bring physical and mental health services to more of our underserved populations.”

Mission City Community Network provides physical exams, dental exams, general medicine, blood tests, immunizations/vaccinations, onsite laboratory services, women’s health and behavioral health through its mobile clinic services. MCCN also has eight nonprofit brick-and-mortar clinics across the San Fernando Valley and 17 across L.A. County.

“With so many people out of work and without health insurance during these trying economic times, we need to make sure we are standing in the gap for them to prevent difficult circumstances from becoming worse,” MCCN CEO Nik Gupta said.

The mobile dental clinic will serve families associated with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Devonshire PALS, a nonprofit that works to reduce juvenile crime and create safe communities by providing after-school enrichment programs to low-income and at-risk children and teens. It will also travel to interim housing facilities in the San Fernando Valley.

“We are excited at the prospect of having this mobile clinic coming to the Trebek Center once it opens,” said Ken Craft, CEO of Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission. “Individuals experiencing homelessness often lack access to regular medical care and because of that, it is not uncommon for existing physical and mental health problems to become exacerbated.”

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