In addition to an array of medical services, the new facility will also be home to the Watts Counseling and Learning Center.
The new Kaiser Permanente Watts Medical Offices held an open house and ribbon-cutting for local officials, media and the community on Friday, Feb. 2.
The medical offices officially opened for the public on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Watts residents will now receive quality health care services close to home.
“Our new Kaiser Permanente Watts Medical Offices will offer a range of primary and specialty care, including adult primary care, a nurse clinic, obstetrics-gynecology, pediatrics, lab, radiology, pharmacy, and behavioral health,” said Michelle Gaskill-Hames, president of Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Hawaii/Health Plan and Hospitals.
“But our new building offers so much more than just medical services.”
Related Stories
Mayor Karen Bass Endorses Heather Hutt for City Council
Leimert Park Hosts 7th Annual Music & Media Conference
The 61,855-square-foot facility will provide access to exceptional health care and serve as the new home of the Kaiser Permanente Watts Counseling and Learning Center, which has served the people of Watts for more than 50 years.
“It is also the new home to our Watts Counseling and Learning Center, which has been here in Watts since 1967 and provides counseling, educational therapy and assistance, outreach services, and early childhood education,” said Gaskill-Hames.
“By having these two facilities co-located on a single campus, we are able to not only improve much-needed access to health care services, but to offer complete care that fulfills Kaiser Permanente’s mission to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve.”
The new medical offices, located at 1465 E. 103rd St., were built in an area of South Los Angeles that has a history in lacking of access to healthcare services. These new offices show a commitment to the community and provides Kaiser Permanente members with improved healthcare access.
“We knew there was a strong desire for more of the center’s services, but it had reached its physical limits at its previous location,” said Gaskill-Hames.
“This facility’s expansion increases the capacity of WCLC to serve more people so that Watts residents will now have even more options for getting and staying healthy.
“The new building doubles the footprint of the previous space and houses the same counseling, education, and outreach services Kaiser Permanente has offered to the Watts community; and in addition, will include a state-licensed and accredited preschool.”
“Through our investment in the Watts community, we’re improving access to much-needed quality health care, early childhood education, social health and the conditions for health and equity in one of the most underserved areas in Southern California,” said Mitchell Winnik, senior vice president and area manager for the Kaiser Permanente Downey Service Area.
Dr. JT Lee, medical director for the Downey Service Area, noted: “Our physicians and health care teams are excited to be able to provide residents of Watts and surrounding communities with the compassionate and personalized medical care and services for which Kaiser Permanente is known. We look forward to going above and beyond the call of duty to meet the needs of our members.”
Congresswoman Maxine Waters attended the open house on Friday and praised Kaiser Permanente’s investment in the community. Rosie Lee Hooks, director of the nearby Watts Towers Arts Center and known within the community, shared her feelings about the new medical offices.
“Not only is it a beautiful building, but it also looks like it’s going to facilitate many of the needs of community residents, knowing they’ll have health care available to them and their families close to home,” said Hooks. “Residents now won’t have to travel outside the community and wait to receive care.”
Hooks continued, “This building is for the community here to make them feel welcome and make them feel that their health matters and their children’s health matters.”
“These beautiful new facilities will improve the overall health of Watts and surrounding neighborhoods with high quality and accessible medical care, critical mental health services, as well as education and resident outreach for the broader community,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Tim McOsker.
“Thank you to Kaiser Permanente for this investment in Watts and for the dedication of essential health services in our community.”
The Counseling and Learning Center will continue serving both Kaiser Permanente members and non-members. This densely populated neighborhood, comprised mainly of Black and Latino residents, bears a disproportionate burden of illness and social inequities, and Kaiser Permanente hopes this new facility will begin to address those inequities.
Kaiser Permanente’s Watts Medical Offices will be open Monday – Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Behavioral Health services will be available Monday through Friday. To make an appointment, please call the Kaiser Permanente Appointment Center at 1-833-574-2273. Information is also available about the Kaiser Permanente Watts Counseling and Learning Center.
