Altamed Foundation

The AltaMed Foundation was established to support the strategic plan and mission of AltaMed Health Services, which is to eliminate disparities in health care access and outcomes by providing superior quality health and human services through an integrated world-class delivery system for Latino, multi-ethnic and underserved communities in Southern California.

Founded in 1969, AltaMed opened as the East Los Angeles Barrio Free Clinic in response to pressing issues—especially the lack of access to affordable healthcare—facing the East Los Angeles community and ultimately became known as AltaMed Health Services Corporation (AltaMed) in 1986. In 1987, the AltaMed Foundation was established to support the strategic plan and mission of AltaMed Health Services. The AltaMed Foundation’s annual fundraising efforts support key initiatives including education, community programs, and services that address social determinants of health (non-medical conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, which affect health outcomes) impacting our communities. In 2008, AltaMed expanded its service delivery to Orange County and soon became a staple of the safety-net healthcare system in Southern California, operating more than 65 physical sites in Los Angeles and Orange County.

Services include primary care and co-located dental sites providing routine and preventive care for all ages; Mobile health clinics; a clinician home visiting program; Diabetes management and prevention sites that focus on nutrition, activity, medication compliance, and self-care; Behavioral health sites; Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) sites that allow seniors to continue receive support while living in their own homes; Urgent care sites; HIV sites that include prevention, testing, care and treatment to sexual health campaigns, and other resources; and Pharmacy services bringing convenience and care where it is needed. AltaMed’s community-based services include a broad range of workforce development programs; efforts to mobilize health professionals and institutions to serve as civic engagement advocates; and our Youth Services sites where youth and families are given access to free and low-cost care and other medical services to meet our patient’s unique health needs.

AltaMed Foundation is currently in a six-year, $110,000,000 H.E.L.P. (Health, Equity, Life, and Programs) Campaign that started in 2021. This $110 million initiative is designed to transform community health by addressing root causes of illness and inequity. It funds initiatives that improve access to care, provide financial aid for essential needs, and foster innovative programs to create healthier environments for AltaMed patients and their families. We are proud to share that we have raised $82,500,000 to date.

In 2024, we had 718,480 total patient encounters at our Orange County sites, where 364,584 visits were paid by Medi-Cal insurance and 145,460 were PACE participant encounters, ensuring seniors had access to robust day time care that helps them remain at home and as independent as possible.

Since 2017, our Community Cares Fund (CCF) has provided microgrants and other vital resources to patients and their families who are facing food and housing insecurity, dealing with loss, or experiencing other financial difficulties. On average, we fulfill over 93% of emergency requests for direct relief. AltaMed Foundation also annually distributes over 4,000 school kits, winter items, and hygiene packets across our PACE centers and clinics.

At AltaMed, we care for the whole patient, and we know that what impacts a person’s health the most happens outside our clinic walls. In line with these efforts, we aim to strengthen efforts like our medical education and the AltaMed Art Collection, which represents our belief that art is essential to healing bodies, spirits, and communities.

We are pleased to share that in 2024 we also partnered with the Licensed Physicians from Mexico Pilot Program (LPMPP) and welcomed seven new physicians. We are the first in Southern California to participate in this program. The recently launched AltaMed Nursing School Collaborative will help us graduate 250 registered nurses and licensed vocational nurses in the next five years.

With an ever-evolving and unique patient base, needs can fluctuate annually; however, our main needs center on a few simple facts: our patient base lives in medically underserved areas; 98% are at or below the federal poverty level; and most represent historically underserved populations. Today, our top five most pressing needs are:

- Ensuring access to comprehensive, culturally sensitive primary, dental and other specialty health care, from childhood to senior years

- Addressing the social determinants of health/greatest needs impacting our service population as they arise.

- Providing immediate financial assistance for patients in situations where life-altering crises could be the difference between security and unemployment, homelessness or starvation.

- Cultivating transformative pipeline workforce programs designed to help future generations thrive beyond the walls of our clinic

- Enhancing the health and well-being of our patients and participants through the AltaMed Art Collection, the largest private collection of Chicano art in the country and its programs

Orange, CA
Santa Ana, CA
Garden Grove, CA
Huntington Beach, CA
Anaheim, CA

AltaMed Foundation is a community-rooted, social justice-driven organization that, since 1987, has supported AltaMed Health Services in delivering accessible, culturally competent care to underserved Southern California communities, regardless of ability to pay. It funds comprehensive health and community programs, addressing social determinants of health and fostering equity for primarily Latino, and multi-ethnic populations.

Key aspects that make the AltaMed Foundation distinct include:

- Culturally and Linguistically Competent Care: AltaMed ensures patients receive care from providers who reflect their community's language and culture, building deep trust.

- Comprehensive Care Model: Beyond medical care, it supports programs addressing social determinants of health, such as food security, safety, and economic stability.

- Community-Led Philanthropy: The Foundation acts as the volunteer and fundraising arm, focusing on raising money for immediate community needs, such as the Community Cares Fund.

- Health Equity Focus: Through the AltaMed Institute for Health Equity, it researches and implements solutions for underserved populations, aiming for regional and national impact. The Institute strives to engage the community through health equity research and policy translation, graduate and undergraduate medical education, and evidenced-based programs.

- Holistic Care: The AltaMed Art Collection, the largest private collection of Chicano art in the country, is installed in all its medical facilities and offices. AltaMed also hires artists to conduct workshops with seniors and offers free art workshops for the communities that it serves. The AltaMed Art Collection is culturally relevant to the thousands of patients, providers, and community members who benefit from the art not just because of their beauty and vibrancy, but because they see themselves reflected in the artwork.