TUJUNGA : Groups to Picket in Support of Clinic
Shutting down the Tujunga Medical Clinic would not only take away affordable medical care from the poor but shatter a relationship that has been building since the 1960s, clinic and community members said this week.
The clinic is one of 24 that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is considering closing as a cost-saving move.
As a show of community support for the clinic, the Sunland-Tujunga Coordinating Council and the clinic have organized an “informational picket” at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, said Helen Lear, spokeswoman for the council.
“The patients are outraged, especially the people who have been coming here for years,” said Terry Maynes, manager of the clinic, which has a six-member staff providing prenatal and pediatric services, blood pressure screenings, immunizations, family planning and pregnancy testing for about 500 patients a month.
Clinic staff members have been developing relationships over the years, starting with a mother’s pregnancy and birth, Maynes said.
“It’s like coming to a family doctor,” Maynes said. “We all really really try to treat people the way they want to be treated.”
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