La Clinica De La Raza

As a health care provider who had worked at one the other clinics recently, I really really wanted to give La Clinica a high rating. However, just got off the phone with probably the least helpful staff whose goal was really to get me off the phone. I am most shocked when she told me that she couldn’t even transfer me to one of their satellite clinics because she did not have their phone number? I mean, seriously? I worked for the other clinic for less than 3 months, not a front-​line staff, but I’m pretty sure if someone was to call my direct line and asked me to do that, I would try harder to help. This really makes me more sad than upset, we really need people with more patience and who truly care about «the people» in our community. Yes, my husband and I may not need to be seen at La Clinica, but we’ve always believed in supporting our own especially since it’s so close to home. Yes, you guys are not accepting new patients at this time, maybe that’s a good sign or not? But if this organization doesn’t do a better job starting with front-​line staff, I don’t know if there will be many potential patients down the line. Good luck!

My Mother and I are looking into getting this place checked from BBB. The whole staff is unorganized when it comes to appointments. My Mother was supposed to be seen by a Doctor. Not a Nurse! Nurses have no knowledge like a Doctor does in care and emergency needs. This is about the 3^rd time this has happened with this place. I had to take the day off from work to come and help translate and support her.
She needs emergency care not from an ER Hospital but from a Doctor that can possibly try to help with her needs from pain she is having. She is getting swollen all over her arms. Tylenol/​Advil/​Ibupro will not cure.
What can we do? Where else can we go?
We will be looking not to just complain to Berta Castro, but complain to the authorities of BBB because ultimately this is a business for the community in health care needs.
We have left 2 messages at the following #: 510.535.3560 and no one has yet called back and tried to help my mothers situation.
We are tired of the lack of service and I cannot believe my Mother did not get any Doctor to check her today.
We are very infuriated. If my Mother gets ill any further. It is this place to blame.

The medical staff is okay. But the billing department is full of ignorant staff. They refused to take my payment although they called me three times asking that I go all the way to east oakland to pay it. They also do not have an option to pay on line or over the phone because they run an operation from 1881. Worst service.

I lovelovelove La Clinica!!! The poor staff is overworked (and hopefully not underpaid), but they really do the best they can, dealing with the stress of patients who don’t know how their care works, or who come in late, or who are just plain mean and rude. The pharmacy staff always has a smile, despite the aforementioned stress. Today I came in to pick up four refills, one of which was not ready. I told the woman that it was hormones, that I already missed today’s dose, and I had to work tomorrow and couldn’t get here before 4pm. I also expressed concern over never having run out before, and not knowing how it might affect me. Not only did she look all over for it, but she got the pharmacist to help, who filled my ‘script right then and there! Despite the fact that they were supposed to be closed by now but still had people waiting and others trying to get in, I only waited about two-​three minutes before my medicine was in my hand!
Hopefully someday we will have (single– payer/​universal/​socialized) healthcare like every other developed country, but until then I applaud the folks at La Clinica for doing the best they can within a broken system, and for going above and beyond for their patients despite all the b.s. they have to endure. Thank you, La Clinica! You really are life– savers!!! :)

I see dr Julia Blay and dr Vanessa Litman. They r the best doctors i ever seen in my life. They really care for the patients.
Front desk staffs are kinda difficult especially if you are on the phone with them. They really need training education.
I can get appt sometimes within a week. Sometimes within 2 months. It varies.

This is a review for La Clinica on 12^th. I am a new patient at this clinic and I get really great care from the doctors and nurses. I’ve had both Kaiser insurance and private insurance and La Clinica is somewhere in between. They have a pharmacy and lab like Kaiser, so it’s convenient. However, like most private offices, if there is an urgent matter, they’ll recommend ER. La Clinica is perfect for annual exams and paps — they seem good for prenatal — based on my experience, they have an awesome working relationship with Alta Bates OB/​GYNs.
The waits can be long, but it’s no longer than anywhere else. The staff may seem set in their ways, but if you’re nice and clear in stating your needs, they will accommodate.
La Clinica is a great choice for low cost insurance holders. I took the chance despite the reviews on Unilocal and they far exceeded my expectations.

Oh my experiences were just not great. They refused to give me a referral to a dematologist and said they can do all my dematology needs. Well, I trusted regular doctors with my skin before and they have messed up my face horrible! That’s why I would like to get a refferral to a dematologist if I have issues with my skin, BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT DEMATOLOGISTS ARE FOR! Problem with Doctors, their egos too much BIGGIE size.
They refused to give me a physical yesturday because it’s not a «medical emergency». Well what the fuck is the doctor’s office for? If it was an emergency then I would go to the ER of the hospital not a doctor’s office? Every time I go to the walk in clinic they give me some excuse for why I can’t be seen. This time because I needed a physical they said well I’m not in any pain so it’s not an emergency? Ok well last time I went to the walk in clinic my foot WAS in pain and they told me «well that’s not what that the Saturday clinic is for»
I got the most mad at them when I went in for a doctor appointment (my foot in pain). They wanted me to see a podiatrist and said the podiatrist would be there in 2 weeks I could call then and get an appoinment (because there weren’t any available at that time?). When I called for my appointment they said no I would have to come in for ANOTHER appointment with a general doctor and then I could get a referral appointment for the podiatrist. When I told the receptionist I already had an appointment with a regular doctor who told me to see their podiatrist she just didn’t wanna listen and said well I dunno why they would do that and still kept trying to schedule me with an appointment with a regular doctor? I said well obviously it’s not that important and she said well yes it is you need to come in. Well if its so important than why cant they do their job right the first time instead of wasting people’s time.
They just have so many patients that they feel the purpose of thier job is to get rid of as many patients as they can. And then whoever might be left over then maybe the doctor will see them.
I think the doctors were ok but the BIGGEST problems are the receptionists. I’m really sorry but the attitude I kinda got off the receptionists is I guess because it’s La Clinica de La Raza and it’s in Fruitvale, it’s sorta more for Hispanic people and if you’re not Hispanic then you are just kinda wasting their time and resources. But I really didn’t choose to be there, I’m just poor and Alemeda Alliance just told me to go there, I didn’t really have a choice.

Extremely irritated with La Clinica right now. My wife just had a prenatal appointment, in which the doctor told her it was imperative for her to get a prescription that night. The pharmacy told us that the prescription would be ready at 5:15. The close at «5:30».
We called the pharmacy at 5:15 to make sure it was ready and let them know we were coming to pick up the prescription. We live about 10 minutes away, so we drove straight over. At 5:25, we walked into the pharmacy and all of the roll up windows were already shut. The pharmacists could be heard talking behind the counters, but they were obviously ignoring our calls for them to help us, even though it was not yet closing time.
It didn’t take long for the security guard to come in and tell us that they were closed. While we are trying to get him to understand that the clock on the wall above his head still doesn’t say 5:30, he keeps telling us «They close at 5:30, they are closed.»
He finally notices what the heck we are trying to say and goes behind the counters to speak with the pharmacists who are still there.
Long story less long, we were there another hour trying to get a hold of the doctor who called the pharmacy (they continued to work behind the door) and made them deliver our prescription.
The entire time they were incredibly rude and never admitted that they were wrong and never apologized. Instead, they claimed that they only go by the time on their time clock (which was about 10 minutes fast), not the clock in the room (which was correct).

If you have a choice do not fo here!
I went in and the receptionist was BSn with a doctor about getting tattoos. Then they tell me I was late and would have to reschedule. I have a job that gives me little time off, when i do get the time off this happens. Un-​professional, rude, I came here because I feel ill and have health concerns. I cant believe the Dr refused to see me unless it was an EMERGENCY. If i had an EMERGENCY id be in the ER not this freakn clinic.
I reccomend the little clinic inside Milagros Mexicanos Pharmacy. The staff there is super nice, cost is right and the Dr is wonderful.
Avoid La Clinica at all cost.

La Clinica serves a real urgent need for the community and when I found myself uninsured I felt that I received quality care and I am so thankful for that. No, it isn’t on par with Kaiser but everything was clean and the equipment was modern. While the location is superb, if you have insurance I would recommend going elsewhere if possible. While the quality of care is good (bordering decent with some doctors) it is a crowded, overworked, and overbooked location and other health care providers may better serve your needs.
I’m not keen on their use of nurse practioners when the receptionist I made the appointment with told me I would be seeing a doctor. Their pharmacy is crowded and overworked. I would phone in my refill request if possible because waiting in that long line and then waiting over an hour for the prescription is a test in patience.
Appointment dates can really vary — sometimes I could get an appointment within a week or two and other times it would take up to two months before I could be seen. I don’t have any experience scheduling over the phone but in person I never had a problem. I will agree that the people who handle calls come off as very incompetent so I prefer to handle all my appointments and administrative issues in person.
Becoming a member was an easy process for me but I did have to make an appointment for the interview where your eligibility is discussed and paperwork is processed. I was on the waiting list for six months since I was uninsured but I enrolled at the San Antonio clinic in the meantime and I feel that I received quality care there. I heard that La Clinica stopped taking new uninsured patients and that there’s a waiting list to be accepted, although at the time I am writing this the San Antonio location is accepting new uninsured patients.
When I had an issue that they couldn’t handle at their location, they gladly referred me to Operation Access (amazing organization!) where doctors volunteer their services. I actually didn’t have to do a thing — the nurse practioner that saw me did the paperwork for me! I really appreciated that La Clinica cared enough about my health to hook me up (at no charge) with an organization that could help me.

My La Clinica (Fruitvale) experience:
With the registration office:
Like other reviewers I had to make several attempts to be registered. I gave my name and insurance information twice without any record of such the next time I called to follow up. The third time I called my voice showed my irritation and the woman who I am sure I previously spoke to, registered me. Though this might sound like good news I was told at my first doctor appt (which came after a 2 month wait for new patients) that they had not verified my insurance and I wouldn’t be able to have my dr appt without it. Frantically, I was running between the registration office on the 3^rd floor and the dr office on the 2^nd floor before my appointment was cancelled.
With my general physican:
At my first appointment with my new general physician, the nurse took my vitals and family history. When the doctor came in I had to repeat my family history again. She denied my specific request to be tested for health issues running in my family because I presented no obvious signs of having these conditions (yet). I left there feeling disappointed. My standard lab work for a routine checkup was ordered and I would have to wait another TWO MONTHS for a follow up appointment. The doctor said the timeframe was due to having so many patients and if there was nothing abnormal about my lab results I wouldn’t get a call beforehand…”… that’s just their M.O.” said my doctor.
With the lab:
The lab had quite a wait on a Monday Morning. I’ve since gone back to do another lab in the late afternoon and it was less of a wait (though still a wait and this time they couldn’t find my paperwork supposedly brought down by doctor the previous night).
My conclusion:
My conclusion is that this clinic is meant for people WITHOUT insurance… only because they’re desperate enough to deal with it not because they should receive this type of care. It seems the clinic operates on giving patients bare bones treatment (i.e. not ordering specific lab tests, impersonal bedside manner, wait times etc.) because most patients are paying out of pocket and can’t afford anything not life threatening.
As someone who has decent health insurance through my employer, giving this place the benefit of the doubt (it was close to my home) was the WRONG thing to do. Once I get my final lab results, I’m finding new doctors!

I’m surprised at the low ratings, my experiences here have been pretty much the opposite. I registered my wife pretty easily, and she’s been going there for years now. It can take some time to get appointments, but her Dr. has gone out of his way to be helpful, and a few times he made time to see her for emergencies. He is easily the most responsive and helpful Dr. I have dealt with anywhere and we love La Clinica!

As a super poor patient, you get relatively cheap care. That’s nothing to scoff at. But you will often have to wait a long time to pick up your meds at the pharmacy and sometimes the pharmacy closes for lunch without warning. Love it when that happens.
Something a bit disturbing: the staff — whether in person or on the phone — CONSTANTLY calls the nurse practitioners by the title of DOCTOR. This has happened so many times I’ve lost count. It’s obviously the clinic’s policy to try and convince patients that they are being treated by doctors rather than by people with advanced nursing degrees. I’m not sure what action can be taken against this deceptive practice, but I’m looking into it and I hope someone else who experiences this will complain about is too and report it. It’s unethical and misleading.

I am really torn about La Clinica. I like my family’s doctors, and the location is great right next to Fruitvale BART.
They do take our private insurance, Blue Shield.
But a lot of things about La Clinica are really difficult. it takes forever to register, which I have done several times for kids I’ve taken care of. And their phone system is impossible– it can take over an hour to make an appointment because of a combination of understaffing and the phone system. Or you will just have to go into the clinic to schedule your appointment. Their pharmacy doesn’t take our Blue Shield. The lab is another nightmare– take a number and wait and wait, sometimes you even have to come back after lunch if you don’t make it in before they close for their break.
Sometimes it seems like a last resort kind of place you wouldn’t want to put up with if you have any alternative, and that’s the attitude I get from some staff. Last time I had problems with the phone the woman who answered said yup, that’s why I go to the doctor somewhere else.
It’s in my neighborhood and the doctors are good, but I’m not sure it’s all that convenient.

If I could give La Clinica less than one star, i would!
Both my boyfriend and I go to La Clinica, not by choice, but because our HMO chose this place for us, and won’t allow us to switch… and we pay for our insurance!
I’m now 18 weeks pregnant and have been trying to get an appointment for the month or so! In order to get an appointment, you need your medical record # — i can’t even get them to give me this! Their idiot registration desk keeps saying they’ll call me back with my medical record # and i still don’t have it. I’m currently on hold over the phone AGAIN! I was on hold for an hour, then some girl asks me my name, puts me on hold for another 30 minutes, and then hangs up on me… SO NOW I HAVE TO START ALL OVER!!!
DON’T GO TO LA CLINICA IF YOU HAVE A CHOICE!!! THE WORST HEALTHCARE FACILITY I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED!!!

Just called the clinic again today. They still have no record of me.

Would love to write a review about this medical clinic if only I could make an appointment. So far it’s been 23 days since I called them and the half asleep girl who took my insurance information was supposed to call me back with an ID number so that I can then make an appointment. No word from her so I called again today. Same girl; no recollection of my information or our conversation last week, can’t find my information and within the same conversation I had to repeat my name, spell it 3 times and then sit on hold. If it’s this hard to even make an appointment, I’d rather not find out what it’s like to be in their care when I am really ill. I’ll pass.

Phone Staff for the E. 12^th Street Location is Pitiful! They keep you on hold for an eternity and if someone is working like them such as myself, they can’t hold for one milisecond for me to switch lines? Gimme a break. The stupid nurse, where did you get your degree anyway, calls me back and hangs up because she thinks I have the wrong number, then takes me through the ENTIRE process only to tell me there are no appointments available which is what I asked the dumb receptionist in the first place. JUST STUPID. Where do they hire their people???

The address is a little misleading. There are actually 24 different clinics that comprise La Clinica De La Raza stretching from Alameda County to Contra Costa County to Solano County. If you have Medicare/​Medical, you are golden. If not, you are shit out of luck. Check out their website to read more about each clinic:
They have a clinic super close to me so you can imagine how disappointed I was when I found out I wouldn’t be able to go there. Stupid rich person private insurance!
I’m sure they do lots of good for the community. Check them out if you have medical/​medicare and need low cost medical attention.