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Our History Page

55 Years of Working to Build Healthier Communities

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Man Outside la Barrio Clinic
1969
East LA Barrio Free Clinic opens
A core group of Brown Berets launches the East LA Barrio Free Clinic. It relies entirely on grants and donations, briefly closing in December 1970 due to lack of funding.
 
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A death galvanizes the movement
1970
A death galvanizes the movement
Chicano college students and Brown Berets continue to lead anti-war demonstrations around the country. On August 29, police break up a march with more than 20,000 participants in East LA.
 
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Cástulo de la Rocha joins the mission
1977
Cástulo de la Rocha joins the mission
Cástulo de la Rocha joins La Clinica Familiar del Barrio for a three-month assignment. He is one of the clinic’s first paid employees.
 
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East LA Barrio Free Clinic becomes La Clinica Familiar del Barrio (1978)
1978
East LA Barrio Free Clinic becomes La Clinica Familiar del Barrio
Gloria Arellanes and other female Brown Berets leave the group. Arellanes organizes Las Adelitas de Aztlán and replaces the East LA Barrio Free Clinic with La Clinica Familiar del Barrio.
 
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Doctor and a patient passing through the entrance of Adult Day Health Care center
1982
First Adult Day Health Care Center opens
La Clinica Familiar del Barrio opens its first Adult Day Health Care (ADHC) center in the basement of a church.
 
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Altamed doctors and nurses
1986
AltaMed is born
La Clinica Familiar del Barrio is renamed as AltaMed Health Services.
 
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Outsides of Pico Rivera clinic
1986
Second clinic opens in Pico Rivera
After a 17-year history, we open our second clinic in Pico Rivera, at Slauson Plaza.
 
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Doctor taking care of an elderly
1986
First million-dollar grant
A Multi-Purpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) is established with a $1 million grant – our largest grant to date.
 
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AltaMed Foundation event
1987
The AltaMed Foundation is Established
The AltaMed Foundation raises funds to increase access to health and human services and reduce health care disparities in communities across Southern California. The Foundation provides financial assistance and works with AltaMed to provide education, community programs, and services that address the social determinants of health.
 
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Two guys hugging
1987
Subtance abuse and HIV services added
We win a contract for a substance abuse treatment program, which includes funding for HIV services.
 
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HIV Mobile Unit
1993
HIV testing mobile unit rolls out
We receive funds from the Department of Health Services to launch our first HIV testing mobile unit. Between 1987 and 1991, new AIDS cases among Latinos reported in LA County rose by 9%.
 
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Happy elderly couple
1996
AltaMed PACE debuts
We transition our ADHC center to a PACE demonstration site: Senior BuenaCare PACE, a managed care product serving Medicare and Medi-Cal-eligible seniors.
 
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Photo of AltaMed's mobile health unit
1997
Mobile health unit launches
We acquire our first mobile health unit, serving the community with glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure screenings, as well as providing health education and information.
 
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Nurse and elder woman in PACE clinic
2002
CMS approves AltaMed PACE status
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approves a request for AltaMed to become a permanent PACE organization on November 1.
 
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Girl hearing the hearth of a doctor
2005
Partnership with CHLA
We open a general pediatrics outpatient clinic at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
 
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Picture of daughters of Aztlán mural
2006
A growing presence in East LA
We establish primary care clinics at the Ramona Gardens, Estrada Courts, and William Mead housing developments, respectively in Lincoln Heights, East Los Angeles, and Chinatown.
 
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Orange county signboard
2008
Now serving Orange County
We build a medical-dental presence in Orange County for the first time by merging with Community Care Health Centers.
 
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Altamed doctors
2008
IPA network launches
We launch our Independent Practice Association (IPA), building a network of affiliated clinics across our service areas.
 
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Mom and daughter gratefully with hers doctor
2009
Orange County expansion
We purchase Universal Care, acquiring its employees and four additional sites in Orange County.
 
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Recognition from the Joint Commission
2011
Recognition from the Joint Commission
We receive a Primary Care Medical Home designation from the Joint Commission. Certification is about patient-centered care and focuses on educating patients on self-management.
 
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PACE grows
2012
AltaMed PACE network grows
California cuts ADHC funding and replaces ADHC with Community-Based Adult Services.
 
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Cástulo de la Rocha in the podium of an event
2013
Covered California
In response to the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act and the 2013 launch of Covered California, we open two Health Insurance Resource Centers in Commerce and Santa Ana.
 
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A girl in a BBQ event
2016
Protection for the most vulnerable
We champion the historic Health for All Kids Act (SB4).
 
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Picture of a large latino family
2017
Leveling the playing field
We effectively eliminate disparities in the areas of breast cancer screening, adolescent immunizations, and A1c and retinal screenings
 
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Latino woman with a USA flag in the background
2019
Expanding reach, offerings, and opportunities
We renew our focus on civic engagement, supporting local voter registration and participation, providing community workshops on citizenship, and facilitating dialogue around public policy.
 
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Employees and Castulo de la Rocha
2019
An employment milestone
We are now home to more than 3,000 employees.
 
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My AltaMed 2019
2019
MyAltaMed
We launched MyAltaMed, a new mobile-friendly patient portal, allowing patients to communicate with their doctors, request telehealth appointments, refill prescriptions, access test results, and more.
 
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Covid 19 Response
2020
COVID-19 Response
We established mobile testing and evaluation sites throughout our communities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
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New PACE site
2020
New PACE Site
We opened AltaMed PACE – Long Beach.
 
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Residency Program
2020
Residency Program
We welcomed the first cohort of AltaMed Family Medicine Residents to our new Residency Program.
 
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COVID-19 Vaccination Milestones
2021
COVID-19 Vaccination Milestones
By March, we had vaccinated more than 80,000 community members against COVID-19, a testament of our efforts to educate our communities about coronavirus through multiple campaigns encouraging vaccination.
 
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PACE Expands in OC
2021
PACE Expands in OC
We opened AltaMed PACE – Anaheim and AltaMed PACE – Santa Ana.
 
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AltaMed PACE 25th Anniversary
2021
AltaMed PACE 25th Anniversary
We celebrated 25 years of AltaMed PACE and the more than 3,500 participants the program has supported.
 
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AltaMed Acquires New Locations
2021
AltaMed Acquires New Locations
We acquired four Crown City Medical Group clinics in Los Angeles, now:
o AltaMed Medical Group – Huntington Park, Rugby
o AltaMed Medical Group – Florence-Firestone
o AltaMed Medical Group – El Monte, Santa Anita
o AltaMed Medical Group – Pasadena
 
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PACE Continues to Grow
2022
PACE Continues to Grow
We moved our AltaMed PACE – Downey location to a new Norwalk location. AltaMed PACE now cares for more than 4,000 participants.
 
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New Education Initiatives
2022
AltaMed and the Arts
The “In Your Face: Chicano Art After CARA” AltaMed Art Collection exhibit opened in Italy.
 
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Innovations in Cardiology
2022
New Education Initiatives
We launched our new LVN to RN Pathway Program and other training programs, supporting over 160 nurses to advance their careers.
 
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AltaMed Plus Launches
2022
Innovations in Cardiology
We established the Cardiology Physician Champion, dedicated to advancing cardiology services. Our providers expand their knowledge of cardiology to help patients manage cardiovascular risk and decrease ER visits.
 
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AltaMed Now
2022
AltaMed Plus Launches
We launched AltaMed Plus™, a new, team-centric senior care program designed to meet the individual needs and improve the overall health of our senior patients.
 
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A mother and son use AltaMed Now.
2022
AltaMed Now
We launched AltaMed Now, a telehealth service that allows us to provide 24/7 care.
 
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Advances in Women’s Health Care
2023
Advances in Women’s Health Care
We partnered with United Medical Imaging to create a mammography suite in our Commerce clinic, making mammograms more accessible to our patients.
 
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Expansion Continues
2023
Expansion Continues
We acquired Clinica Medica Hispana Medical Corporation, now AltaMed Medical Group – Paramount.
 
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ChapCare by AltaMed
2023
ChapCare by AltaMed
We acquired eight Community Health Alliance of Pasadena (ChapCare) clinics and introduced AltaMed to the San Gabriel Valley.
 
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Physicians from Mexico
2024
Physicians from Mexico
We partnered with the Licensed Physicians from Mexico Pilot Program (LPMPP) and welcomed seven new physicians who provide culturally and linguistically aligned care to our patients. We are the first in Southern California to participate in this program.
 
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We Continue to Grow Healthy
2024
We Continue to Grow Healthy
We officially reached 5,000 employees.
 
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55 Years of Community
2024
55 Years of Community
We turned 55!
 

It is a privilege to celebrate our first 55 years. As we look ahead to the next 50, we honor those who have carried us forward, given us purpose, and remain beside us. I thank you for joining us on this journey and helping us make a difference.

- Cástulo de la Rocha, President and CEO