Health center for low-income families brightens hospital visits

At the Venice Family Clinic in California, galaxies, forests and ocean motifs in treatment rooms, baskets of toys and more reflect a nationwide shift in the way clinics deliver healthcare, the LA Times reports. Yana Barba, who is nine months pregnant and visits the hospital every two weeks for prenatal care, says it's easy to bring her daughter along, since there are so many ways to entertain children at the organization. "I don't even think they know they're at a doctor's office," Barba said. Before the Affordable Care Act was enacted, 65 percent of Venice Family patients were uninsured. Now 55 percent are insured through Medi-Cal, the state's health program for low-income patients, which was expanded under the law. That prompted the clinic to get creative in making the organization more appealing so that patients continue visiting the providers who know them and their medical histories. Article