Huntington Ambulatory Care Center Marks 110 Years of Care for Those in Need

A medical clinic that opened when Woodrow Wilson was president still provides free care to uninsured patients 110 years later.

Huntington Ambulatory Care Center (HACC) celebrated its anniversary Sunday. The facility traces its roots to 1915, when it opened as the Pasadena Dispensary.

The clinic’s mission remains unchanged. It serves patients unable to afford private medical services.

“Recently, a patient without insurance was able to get two complex thyroid surgeries to remove a cancerous growth through our charity care program,” said Dr. Talar Kavafyan, HACC director.

She cited another case. A heart failure patient left the hospital with nine new prescriptions but no insurance. The medications would have cost thousands of dollars.

Staff helped the patient access emergency funds while awaiting Medi-Cal approval, a process taking up to 60 days.

Prominent women founded the dispensary in 1915. They raised construction funds and secured land from Pasadena Hospital at Congress Street and Fairmount Avenue.

Volunteer doctors from Pasadena Hospital staffed the clinic. Two or three nursing students cleaned the facility, admitted patients and assisted physicians. The students also weeded the garden.

The operation expanded over decades. By 1947, it ran 21 separate clinics.

Today HACC employs nine staff members. More than 30 resident doctors and attending physicians also work there.

The clinic occupies the ground floor of the Wingate Building on Huntington Hospital’s campus. It operates 20 clinics covering various specialties plus primary care.

Donors Martha and David Ho and Dr. Robert Siew support the financial assistance program.

HACC staff members conduct community health screenings for blood pressure and blood sugar. The clinic recently expanded its pulmonary services.

To learn more about HACC, visit https://www.huntingtonhealth.org/our-services/ambulatory-care-center/.