About Community Health Centers - Lompoc
Community Health Centers is a non-profit network of health centers serving residents of California's Central Coast. They offer a range of services including medical, dental, chiropractic care, health education, and specialty care. Patients praise the friendly and caring staff, highlighting the kindness and thoroughness of their experience. Doctors are commended for their clear explanations and patient interaction, making visits comfortable for both adults and children. The centers are known for their convenient appointment scheduling and accommodating nature. Patients have expressed their satisfaction with the care provided by the staff. Martha Salcido is praised for taking very good care of her patients and ensuring they receive the best possible service. The staff is described as extremely helpful and friendly, going above and beyond to meet the patients' needs. Dr. Jakub is commended for his patience and understanding when treating children, as he listens to the parents' wishes and avoids overprescribing medications. Patients also appreciate their provider, Amanda Pyper, for being thoughtful and helping them develop strategies to improve their well-being.
Yes, I do recommend, for the most part. I have been a patient at CHC's Santa Maria Way Santa Maria clinic since April 2010. I am a plus-size autistic adult with lymphedema on both legs, and am only partially mobile, so I use a transport wheelchair outside of my home and a cane and walker around my home. I just started with a new doctor yesterday at your Santa Maria Way clinic. His name is Dr. Kang, and I was very impressed with his pleasant manner and his willingness to listen and talk *to* me. My previous doc was Steve Clarke, whom I have worked with on and off since 2010. I loved him and am already missing his great warmth, compassion, patience and humor. CHC seems to have mostly awesome doctors who really listen and go at my pace. The front desk staff are also very helpful and friendly. I was very impressed with them also when I made my visit yesterday. However, this clinic presents several serious access barriers for me, as a disabled, autistic wheelchair user. They are as follows: 1) the nursing staff are still not easy for me to interact with. They talk fast, seem to always be in a hurry, and are still mostly curt and unfriendly towards me. They tend to not listen to what I am saying, or listen as to how I want to be touched, and how I want my blood pressure cuff to be. They tend to talk 'at' and over me. Yesterday, the blood pressure cuff they used was so big they were unable to get my BP reading at all. I just sat there as it kept re-tightening and re-tightening. Please offer us a choice in sizes of blood pressure cuffs and where _we_ want them to be placed on our arms. In addition, when they asked my _caregiver_ to give them _my_ birth date, my caregiver noticed it was a question they could have asked me directly as I was right there in the room and could answer that question myself. Hello, I do happen to be right here, folks! :) So, ask _me_ those questions. ;) I have my caregiver with me so I am not mistreated or talked down to and gaslit---which happens regularly between medical staff and disabled patients. Please see #MedicalAbleism. It's real, and it happens. It has happened to me. Add to that, was when I was discussing with the room nurses about having my autism diagnosis logged into my chart, they wanted to refer to me as "special needs" when I just say "I am disabled". And telling me my autism was a "disorder"---when I am anything but disordered. In addition, they told me I could only use exactly only _one_ pronoun to describe myself, not the two I wanted to use. (I use _both_ she/they pronouns.) 2) I am unable to use their scales as well, as they are the standard style with a narrow standing area, and are therefore inaccessible to me due to a large lymphedema lump on my left leg. Note: At the hospital other medical offices, and at Davita where I go to get my dialysis, they have wide scales for us wheelchair users, and those who cannot stand on a standard scale to weigh. 3) In addition, their front desk/check-in area is also completely inaccessible for me, as it is nothing but a tall wooden and plexi-glass wall barrier between us patients and the front office staff area, for me having to interact with them while in my wheelchair. There are no lowered areas at all for those of us in wheelchairs, and that is dehumanizing for me to have to talk to your staff and I cannot see them because of this taller than tall barrier. 4) Tall narrow standard examining tables need to also be changed to ones that are low enough so that everyone can sit or lay on so we can be examined. Thanks for listening, from me, a disabled disability rights activist on both Facebook and Twitter. 😎😍💜