A Healthy Community for All

Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics (SBNC) has been providing accessible and affordable healthcare to the community since 1998. The nonprofit’s eight facilities in Isla Vista, Goleta, and Santa Barbara cover general, dental, and behavioral health with each taking an integrated approach towards a patient’s overall health.

“The body and the mind are attached and need to be treated as a whole,” says SBNC CEO/CMO, Dr. Charles Fenzi.

“There’s very good data now that suggests if you have poor oral health, the risk of heart disease is much higher than if you don’t,” Dr. Fenzi says, “so having good dental hygiene promotes good physical health, just like having access to good behavioral health impacts physical health as well. So, we’re providing all of those services.”

Four years ago, a community needs assessment by Cottage Hospital found that there was an outsized need for access to mental health services. Since then, SBNC began to focus on promoting and improving the accessibility of their mental health services. SBNC now has integrated behavioral health specialists in their facilities who can see the patient immediately during their visit with a medical provider.

SBNC has found that accessibility to support and services is critical for getting patients treated.

If a patient has to wait a month to see a doctor or take several bus rides to get to a clinic, they will often never follow up with treatment. By providing immediate assistance and connecting them to other resources that can help remove barriers – like transportation – patients are more willing to seek the help they need.

In 2019, SBNC established a Bridge Clinic directly adjacent to Cottage Hospital. This facility forms a bridge between the emergency room and a recovery experience where patients can be seen immediately upon discharge. Dr. Fenzi serves as a primary care physician there alongside four other specialists who treat substance abuse, pain, and mental health issues.

“You can’t have a healthy community if every segment of the community doesn’t have access to good healthcare. That is the issue,” Dr. Fenzi says. “And having a healthy community impacts all of us.”