The future Westside Clinic. Courtesy image.
SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics broke ground today on a new Westside Clinic near the location of its current Westside Neighborhood Clinic. This facility will provide expanded medical services to more than 8,300 local children, adults, and seniors annually.
Chris Lambert, MD, from left, incoming Board Chair, Ron Werft, CEO Emeritus Cottage Health, Janet Garufis, Campaign Co-Chair, Dr. Mahdi Ashrafian, CEO of SBNC, Jim Jackson, Campaign Co-Chair, Brian Knowles, Board Member, Oscar Gutierrez, SB City Councilman. Courtesy photo.
The three-story state-of-the-art medical facility will increase SBNC’s services and develop a central point for satellite operations at its neighborhood clinics of Isla Vista, the Bridge Clinic, the Westside Neighborhood Clinic, and the Eastside and Goleta neighborhood clinics and dental office. The clinic is projected to be completed in September of 2026. With that completion, the number of patients served by SBNC could increase by 25 percent, from 20,000 to 25,000.
“We are building more than a clinic,” said Dr. Mahdi Ashrafian, CEO, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics. “We are building a sustainable model for community health—one that removes barriers and ensures that care is there when people need it most. From a medical perspective, rising tides do lift all boats and so caring for each individual means an overall healthy community.”
Dr. Mahdi Ashrafian, CEO of SBNC.
“The new clinic includes medical, behavioral health, and dental services all under one roof,” said Ashrafian. “In this way, the facility embodies SBNC’s goal of providing care for the whole person in one location. This makes our care more accessible to our patients.”
Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics and dental offices serve over 18,000 people annually, or 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 works to ensure all Santa Barbara residents can receive the quality of care they deserve.