The Conejo Free Clinic is adding two exam rooms to its Thousand Oaks facility, preparing for a wave of newly uninsured patients as federal changes to Medi-Cal take hold in 2027.
The expansion comes as the 50-year-old nonprofit braces for fallout from new work-reporting requirements and more frequent eligibility checks under President Donald Trump's budget reconciliation legislation. Executive director Sarah Hawkins told the Ventura County Star, which first reported the expansion, that roughly 15,000 Ventura County residents could lose Medi-Cal coverage next year.
"We know it's going to snowball as we go into 2027," Hawkins told the Star.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated more than 7 million people nationally will lose health insurance under the Medicaid changes, Fortune reported. Most states are expected to launch the new work requirement in 2027.
The clinic, at 80 E. Hillcrest Drive, Suite 102, sees about a dozen patients a day. It operates Monday through Thursday on an annual budget of roughly $825,000, supported by the Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks, Sherwood Cares Foundation and Gold Coast Health Plan. Services include clinical exams, cancer screenings, dental care, acupuncture and a phone-based legal clinic staffed by volunteer attorneys.
Hawkins told the Star that rising immigration enforcement is also affecting patients. She said people are delaying care and arriving at the clinic sicker than before.
A half-century of free care
Three members of the Conejo Valley Junior Women's Club founded the clinic in 1976: Sharron Baird, Diane Boyd and the late Martha Desch. It opened in a rented doctor's office. A hospital auxiliary group from Westlake Village paid the rent, and the Ventura County Health Department provided linens and lab services.
Unfounded fears that the clinic would distribute condoms and provide abortions drew letters of protest and outright harassment. Someone poured sand into the gas tank of the board president's car. To avoid association with San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury counterculture, founders originally named it the Conejo Community Services Center.
Baird, who served as executive director until 2009, told the Star she remains proud the clinic has survived but said she is ashamed the country still needs free clinics.
Patients and providers
Dr. Frank Dawson, 77, served 48 years as the clinic's medical director before stepping down in April. He continues to serve on the board. Dawson told the Star that an increasing number of patients now carry insurance but still cannot cover their medical costs.
Michael Tardif, a Thousand Oaks Army veteran, started visiting the clinic three years ago when he had trouble swallowing. He was diagnosed with dysphagia, and the clinic connected him with a specialist who performed a free procedure to stretch his esophagus. He now receives medical care, dental work and acupuncture there.
"The V.A. is cold and hard. This is warm and welcoming … Here, I'm not a Social Security number. I'm a person," Tardif told the Star.
What's next
The two-room expansion is expected to be completed in 2027. The clinic's 50th anniversary celebration begins at 4 p.m. Oct. 18 at The Gardens at Los Robles Greens, 299 S. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks. Tickets and information are available at conejofreeclinic.org. Medical appointments can be made by calling (805) 497-3575; dental appointments at (805) 328-3100.
