Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics Breaks Ground on New Westside Clinic
Patricia Martellotti
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics has finalized plans to build a new Westside Clinic near the location of its current Westside Neighborhood Clinic.
“I’m excited because there’s so many people in this town that need good dental mental and medical assistance and help and it’s gonna make our community so much happier,” said patient Isaac Hernandez De Lipa.
This facility is expected to provide medical services to more than 8,300 local children, adults and seniors annually.
“This new clinic is really significant for us. You can actually see the old clinic over there across the street. It’s a house that’s been converted into a clinic so we don’t have enough room to provide the services that we should be,” said CEO Mahdi Ashrafian of the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics.
But they will at this future three-story state-of-the-art medical facility that just broke ground.
“This is going to allow us to give high-quality care on a regular basis to a larger number of people … and upgrade the services that we’ve already been giving for twenty years here in Santa Barbara,” said vice chair of the board of directors of the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics.
This new site will be a one stop shop with services including medical, behavior and dental for those in need.
“It’s in our name neighborhood clinics. It’s going to remove barriers for transportation for many things so that patients can come to the clinic and get the care they need,” said Ashrafian.
Once it’s complete, the number of patients served could increase by 25 percent, from 20,000 to 25,000.
“This is going to make such a difference, not just to the patients for the doctors you know to be able to help peoplr,” said De Lipa.
The clinic is expected to be completed in September of 2026.
This facility is expected to provide medical services to more than 8,300 local children, adults and seniors annually.
This is approximately 1 in 10 people in the Santa Barbara community.
Of these patients, 92% are low-income and 23% are children and adolescents.
By making healthcare accessible and affordable, SBNC managers say they want to ensure all Santa Barbara residents can receive the quality care they deserve.
Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics and dental offices serve over 18,000 people annually.