[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 12, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E433]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF MS. JANE GARCIA, CEO OF LA CLINICA DE LA 
                               RAZA, INC.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LATEEFAH SIMON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 12, 2026

  Ms. SIMON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the retirement of a 
towering figure in the Bay Area, the Chief Executive Officer of La 
Clinica de La Raza, Inc., Ms. Jane Garcia.
  Ms. Garcia was born in El Paso, Texas in 1953. Like far too many 
Americans, Ms. Garcia grew up uninsured, only visiting doctors in times 
of great desperation and sickness. Ms. Garcia's challenging experience 
inspired her to pursue an education in public health.
  In 1975, Ms. Garcia moved to the East Bay. In 1977, she began her 
Master of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. 
During her studies, Ms. Garcia interned for a local healthcare clinic 
based in East Oakland. Called La Clinica de La Raza, the clinic offered 
comprehensive free medical services to a largely Latino population that 
was underserved by the healthcare system.
  In 1982, Ms. Garcia would rise to the role of CEO of La Clinica, 
which was then a small, community-based project with a $2 million 
budget. During her nearly 45-year tenure, La Clinica grew into an 
expansive community healthcare system with an annual budget exceeding 
$175 million, a designation as a Federally Qualified Health Center, and 
a staff of more than 1,200 committed caregivers. La Clinica expanded 
its care options to include a range of culturally appropriate and 
accessible primary and preventative care services. La Clinica now 
serves over 82,000 patients a year across 35 sites in Alameda, Contra 
Costa, and Solano Counties. More than 386,000 annual patient visits are 
made to La Clinica sites around the Bay Area. Ms. Garcia's leadership 
has ensured that care is not only accessible, but culturally relevant 
and meets patients where they are, with dignity and respect.
  In addition to her work with La Clinica, Ms. Garcia has been widely 
recognized as an authority on issues of health and health equity. Ms. 
Garcia's fierce advocacy was instrumental in ensuring continued state 
funding for prenatal care for immigrant women. Ms. Garcia is a founding 
member and served as Chair of the California Primary Care Association, 
representing community health centers across the state of California. 
She has also served as Chair of the California Endowment, Alameda 
Alliance for Health, Community Health Center Network, Community Clinic 
Consortium, and continues to serve on the Board of Directors of the 
California Primary Care Association and Aliados Health. Ms. Garcia has 
received an array of honors for her decades-long commitment to 
community health and service. She has been awarded the Common Cause 
Award for Public Service Achievement, the National Association of 
Community Health Centers' Betsey K. Cooke Advocacy MVP Award, induction 
into both the Alameda and Contra Costa County Women's Hall of Fame, 
recognition as a Most Admired CEO and one of the Most Influential Women 
in Business by the San Francisco Business Times, designation as UC 
Berkeley School of Public Health Alumna of the Year in 2019 and one of 
the school's 75 Most Influential Alumni, and received the 2025 Samuel 
Merritt University Health Impact Award. In 2025, Ms. Garcia was 
selected by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks as Woman of the Year for 
California Assembly District 15. In 2026, she was selected by 
Assemblymember Mia Bonta as Woman of the Year for California Assembly 
District 18.
  Throughout her many decades of work in the Bay Area, Ms. Garcia has 
proven time and time again to be a committed and indefatigable leader 
and advocate in the field of community healthcare. Her visionary 
leadership has resulted in transformational change for thousands of 
California's most vulnerable and underserved residents. I sincerely 
thank Ms. Garcia for her tireless work and wish her the very best in 
her retirement.

                          ____________________