About
UCHC is a Recognized
Patient-Centered Medical Home
What is a PCMH?
The PCMH model of primary care combines
TEAMWORK + TECHNOLOGY
to improve care & reduce costs.
UCHC is a Federally Qualified Health Center, meeting a stringent set of requirements, including providing care on a sliding fee scale and operating under a governing board that includes patients.
The HRSA Quality Improvement Awards recognize the highest performing health centers nationwide as well as those health centers that have made significant quality improvement gains.
Under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), health centers are considered Federal employees and are immune from lawsuits, with the Federal government acting as their primary insurer.
This health center is a Health Center Program grantee under 42 U.S.C. 254b, and a deemed Public Health Service employee under 42 U.S.C. 233(g)-(n).
UCHC was founded in 2009 by Dr. Edgar Chavez
Dr. Edgar Chavez, (CEO and Founder) of Universal Community Health Center could have practiced medicine anywhere. He excelled at Stanford Medical School and thrived during his residency at White Memorial Hospital in East LA.
Kaiser Permanente offered him a job with a strong salary, medical benefits for his family, pension, and stability. The job offer was ideal for any new medical school graduate with a staggering debt to pay back.
Bur Dr. Chavez had a vision and a deep sense of greater responsibility to himself, family, and community.
Dr. Chavez made a promise on every admission or scholarship application to never forget his roots and provide quality healthcare to underserved communities.
In 2009, with the support of his wife, Dr. Chavez opened Universal Community Health Center in a modest strip mall, blocks away from where he grew up in South Los Angeles, an area known for gangs, graffiti, and the impoverished.
UCHC now has 6 locations serving thousands of families each year.