In 1971, social activists Mary Hummel, Mamie Barger, and Reverend Eleazar H. Echeverria opened the Santa Paula Free Clinic in a shared karate studio in the city of Santa Paula. Dedicated to serving the medical needs of Ventura County’s medically underserved population, this tiny clinic was staffed by a team of volunteers and nurses.
As the need for quality, affordable health care grew, the clinic expanded to better serve its patients. In 1975, through a rural health grant funded by the State of California, the Santa Paula Free Clinic became the Community Clinic of The Santa Clara River Valley. The clinic moved to a larger location in Santa Paula, and hired its first full time staff, including a physician, a nurse, and a community health worker. In March of 1979, the clinic moved to Saticoy, CA. The Oxnard health center came next in 1980, The scope of services had grown beyond the Santa Clara River Valley, hence the name Clinicas del Camino Real, Inc. to cover the entire Ventura County
