About the foundation

Towards a healthier South LA

Part of MLK Community Healthcare (MLKCH), the MLK Community Health Foundation (MLKCHF) is dedicated to securing private support for MLKCH’s work across the broad continuum of care, from acute to community wellness and prevention. The MLKCH family includes a state-of-the-art hospital, the MLK Community Medical Group and its outpatient clinics, and population and community health programs—all delivering quality and innovation in healthcare to the 1.3 million residents of South LA.

Like MLKCH, the foundation is guided by a belief that access to quality care is an act of social justice. Our partners are community, civic and philanthropic leaders who have come together across Los Angeles and the nation to support our work in health equity. Their partnership includes support of a multi-specialty nonprofit medical group, helping to close a physician gap of 1,200 doctors in South LA, expanded diagnostic and treatment services, mobile health and telemedicine programs, integrated behavioral health, home health, a street medicine program for our unhoused patients, best-in-class maternity services, and a nurse residency and fellowship program.

We’re telling a new story of health in South LA—one in which patients can access a system of care similar to that found in more affluent communities. A story of hope and healing.

About the community

Finding new ways to thrive

From redlining in the 30s to civil unrest in the 60s to the COVID-19 pandemic today, from high poverty rates and systemic underinvestment to a critical physician gap and some of the worst health outcomes in the nation, South Los Angeles has been challenged to find pathways for its families to economic and social growth. But it’s a community marked by strength and resilience, a community that is moving forward despite its historic challenges. New investments are contributing to new infrastructure. Public housing at Jordan Downs is being redeveloped with mixed-use housing, a community center, retail, and healthy food options. Nearby Magic Johnson Park has been transformed with $70 million in renovations. A new library and senior center now stand where empty lots once stretched. And hundreds of local residents have joined MLKCH with jobs as nurses, technicians, public safety officers, and more.