City Council honors St. John's Community Health on its 60th anniversary; ‘Women Impact’ awards presented across districts

On March 14, 2025, the City Council marked the 60th anniversary of St. John's Community Health and presented the annual Women Impact awards honoring women across council districts. Councilmember Price introduced a celebration of St. John's and invited organizational leaders and patients to speak about services the clinic provides in South Los Angeles and neighboring areas.

Jim Manchas, introduced as president of St. John Community Health, described the organization’s expansion from a single pediatric clinic to a multi-site network. According to remarks recorded in the meeting, St. John's now operates ‘‘24 health centers and four clinics’’ and has programs that include street medicine and reentry assistance for people leaving incarceration. Manchas also cited recent street-outreach numbers given to the council: St. John's provided services to “10,000 people on the street” this year and runs “programs for more than 5,000 transgender people each year,” per his remarks to the council.

Several patients and staff spoke to the council. Patient Kaina Berfield described maternal supports she received through St. John's programs: “Sigua me dio a mí los recursos necesarios,” she said, thanking the clinic for postpartum and community support. Street-medicine provider Bucola (last name as stated in the record) described outreach teams that visit encampments, highways and shelters and noted the organization had served more than 10,000 people experiencing homelessness through street-based care.

Longtime St. John's employee Ana Ruíz Barda told the council she has worked at the clinic for more than 20 years and outlined the organization’s workforce growth from about 100 employees to nearly 1,400. She also said St. John's is a federally qualified health center with many school-based sites and community programs.

Separately, the council used the meeting to present its Women Impact awards. Tracy Gray, introduced as president of the Commission on the Status of Women, described the commission’s exhibit and efforts to highlight women “who are leaders with dedication, innovation and a deep commitment to serving the community.” The council read district citations recognizing 25 women across multiple council districts for community leadership, small-business development, environmental conservation, immigrant services and neighborhood organizing. Examples called out in the presentations included local restaurateurs, nonprofit leaders, community organizers, conservation activists and small-business owners who were each recognized by their respective councilmembers.

The council then approved a package of ceremonial items and proclamations that included the St. John's recognition and several district-level awards. The clerk announced recorded approval of the set of items described in the agenda (items including various proclamations and recognitions) with an affirmative count of 12 votes when the roll was closed.

These presentations underscored the council’s use of ceremonial agenda time to spotlight community health providers and neighborhood leaders; the recognitions do not in themselves authorize funding or change city policy.