Beach Area Family Health Center

The receptionist was really nice and helpful but I thought Dr. Julius Dang and one of the nurses at the end were extremely unprofessional and, after this experience, I am not confident they know what they are doing.
First, Dr. Dang was all over the place, jumping from one issue to the other and coming back to another. It was very confusing. I believe that is partially due to the fact that they are working on other patients at the same time. He seemed restless.
Second, he was chewing on gum the whole time. For me that doesn’t sit right and it is very unprofessional.
Third, he was taking notes on the sheet used to cover the patient’s bed and it was really disorganized. I just couldn’t believe when I saw that.
Finally, he was googling about one of my conditions and showing to me to see if it is like what I had. He just seemed confused about a lot of it.
He wasn’t rude or anything but he seemed confused and that doesn’t give me confidence on his abilities and knowledge. I can’t trust his judgment.
The nurse was supposed to give me instructions for the labs and a kit for stool sample and I never got that. Also, they never told me my weight or blood pressure after taking it.
I am changing my provider after this experience.

I’m updating my review now that I’ve seen a new doctor at this facility — I’ve gone from 1 star to 5!
I’ve now seen Dr. Julius Dang twice and he’s one of the best doctors I’ve ever encountered. He’s caring, very smart, patient, and clearly loves his work. He’s been excellent at figuring out my issues and has taken such good care of me. I can’t recommend him highly enough.
Also the clinic itself is has been wonderful every time I’ve been there. They are efficient and organized. Blood is drawn onsite — they are very quick (and pretty painless). The receptionists are nice and always helpful. I’m also grateful for the follow up reply to my original review.
Overall it is a 5 star experience — just don’t go to that guy in my first review!

Good nurses.

For the Women’s Clinic: No matter when you make your appointment here there is always a long wait here. My last appointment here was scheduled for 3 pm with a 2:45 check in time. I got to the clinic at 2:45 on the dot if not before and didn’t get called into a room until 4 o’clock! I think it’s absolutely ridiculous to make a patient (who made an appointment days in advance) wait that long. I’ve gotten into the walk-​in clinic at the main building faster than that. Not to mention I was very disappointed in my experience with Yana once I was called in. She honestly seemed to care less about my concerns and well being and was quick to tell me what she couldn’t do for me. I was trying to get a prescription re filled that really helps me greatly and she seemed almost pleased to tell me «I can’t do that» and didn’t offer any other advice or sympathy. I felt as if she could care less about my concerns and felt like I had to pry information out of her as to how to go about getting the prescription I needed. She speaks incredibly soft and stood in the corner of the room which gave off a really cold uninviting vibe. She doesn’t seem AT ALL confident in what she is saying as she speaks SO soft and our conversation went in circles when I was trying to figure out how to go about getting the prescription and I felt as though I had to dig for info to get her to help me out. Very frustrating. Someone with such a lack of confidence in what they’re saying and very poor communication skills should not be providing direct patient care as an NP. I have never had such a horrible experience with a doctor or in her case NP who seems to have no geniune concern about the patient and just an overall very cold disposition. She was very cold and it was a very strange experience. I was very frustrated when I left almost to the point of tears as I didn’t feel good to begin with, waited forever and the felt totally uncared for by the doctor. I wish I would have called and talked to a higher up but never got around to it. I will never go to Yana again.

I was recently in the ER
at Scripps Mercy Hospital.
I was referred to this place
at discharge for follow up
and had some blood tests
and a urine sample done.
I had to check my levels to
see if I needed medication
adjustment.
My thyroid medication needed to be
upped and because I wasn’t at the
right dosage I was having symptoms.
The thyroid controls your whole body
and I have been taking it for awhile to
control it but lately I have noticed a
change and I knew this was the culprit.
I felt a close connection with
my Dr. because she obviously
cares a lot about her patients
and she cared about me too
of course.
She took her time to answer all
of my questions because I had
a list and the way she answered
them was all done with respect.
I had her check up on a couple
of other things I had questions
about that weren’t related to
the visit but she took her time
and answered them too.
See, now that’s the sign of a good
doctor. I felt comfortable with her
enough that I could remember all
of my questions.
The staff is great. I felt a
strong connection with them too.
They helped with my appointment
times in a timely manner which
was pretty super quick which I liked.
I told them what I was there
for and everything ran smoothly.
Of course there was paperwork
I had to fill out but there wasn’t
much and I didn’t mind a bit.
There is always a wait in the
clinic especially if you’re a
walk-​in but they do manage
to squeeze you in.
They have to keep appointment
times flowing in order to see
walk-​ins. That’s why I decided to
make an appointment.
I had to have my ears irrigated because
I was having trouble hearing a little bit.
I recommend to ask them to use
warm water for this procedure if
you’re sensitive to cold.
The gent asked me if I wanted
to switch to warm water
because he could tell the cold
water was harsh.
The gent was really nice about the
whole thing and had a calm
demeanor about him which I loved.
He educated me a little bit
about the procedure and that
helped me get through it.
He got me to a point where I decided
to complete the whole procedure
and I have had it done before so I was
a little familiar with the process.
I just needed a refreshment
class because *Ahem* I was
a little nervous.
I highly recommend
this place to anyone.

I have been going here for several years and 3 – 4 years ago it had doctors who cared and knew what they were doing. In the past two years they have since moved on and now the doctors are told they can only have so much time with their patients and I am not getting the care that I need I am being rushed out and not heard. I would not recommend coming here for anything.
The receptionists who have been there for some time are awesome. The referral specialist on the woman’s clinic side is lazy and does not know how to communicate well in English. I needed an important appt. to be made and she was the one responsible for making it happen. Even though I tried to do all I can to make it happen myself she caused a lot of wasted time to go by and it was my life she was messing with. She should have been fired years ago.

Sometimes the wait is long, but there are some amazing staff that make it worth while — like Mario Alberto. When I come in, he knows my name, he immediately gets the process started, and is just an excellent provider. Mario’s top notch customer service makes the parking and extra wait worth while!

The pediatrics team here is great, I brought my son here and the nurses were kind and the NP Beverly was amazing with my little boy. Also the front staff are great, they are professional and very friendly. Even when they have «sassy» (that’s putting it lightly) patients who bombard them they never waiver from their professionalism and remain calm and understanding of a patient’s frustrations even if totally unrelated to the health center. This place gets busy but my son was seen quickly as a walk-​in.

I’ve been going here the last couple of years. The Dr. Hutchinson I raved about in my initial review only lasted 3 months here. She said they were on her case all the time about taking too long with patients. It’s what a patient wants to hear, but not the staff! I found that out from her before she left, so I’m assuming that’s why she did. I would KILL to find out where she went and so would several others I’ve talked to, but no one seems to know.
Anyway, been seeing whoever they have on staff. but NO ONE is on staff there. Each time I’ve gone back, someone new… and NO ONE near as cool and who will listen to you like Dr. Karen.
Last week I went in there as a walk in (not usually recommended) and I have never seen the waiting room so filled. They said come back in 2 hours and be the first on the walk in list. Ok, did that. Came back, sat for about 15 min, def not as crowded… and then this big mean nurse (I know her, she IS mean!) and says, there is no provider to take care of us if we’re a walk in and you will all have to leave! WTF?! I have NEVER heard of such a thing in my life!!! Thanks for wasting hours of my time by telling me to come back!
I don’t know if this place is not doing well because of the new health care system, but it’s pathetic to treat patients this way.
I AM DONE WITH THIS PLACE!!!

I am a MediCal patient and had been referred by Planned Parenthood for a OBGYN doctor when they suspected I had a uterine fibroid tumor.
The first time I called to make an appointment with this clinic, the person on the phone scheduled me for 8:30 am on a Thursday. When I arrived, I discovered that the Beach Area Family Health Clinic does not open until 9 am on Thursdays. Confused, I phoned them to make sure I had the right day/​time. The person there did not seem to understand that the clinic had not yet opened but confirmed that I was scheduled for that day so I waited in line for the clinic to open. Once inside the clinic, the front desk was able to get through the line pretty efficiently but by the time I filled out new patient paperwork, etc, and was sent over to the woman’s clinic for my appointment, it was about 9:20 am. There, I waited for another 20 minutes despite the fact that the waiting room was empty. Waiting just seems to be part of the game regardless of whether or not you have an appointment.
I did not notice any ill manner with the front room staff and some of the patients coming in seemed to know them on a personal level like, «Hi so-​n-​so, good to see you! Are you ready for me?» The waiting room isn’t that big but it seemed everyone was able to get a seat and the room was clean.
I saw Dr. Yana and she was very kind, took her time with me, and attentively answered all my questions. She ordered a whole hosts of tests so I had to go back to the main clinic (located across the street) and wait for them to take blood. That took another hour to complete. If you sign up for the ‘myhealthrecord​.fchsd​.org’ (request info at the front desk if they don’t already mention it to you) you can get your results online.
The nursing and lab staff was courteous and professional to me. The person who took my blood seemed overwhelmed by the number of people that were waiting. I tried to lighten the mood by telling a funny story and he seemed to smile a little but it’s evident the staff is running to keep up.
I returned for a follow up appointment a month later. The appointment setter told me it would be at 10:15 this time but when I received an automated call to confirm my appointment, it told me my appointment was at 10:30. Again, it’s a bit confusing. Checking in with the main office and heading over to the woman’s clinic was very quick and easy this time. Only two other women were waiting there but it still took 30 minutes to get me in the room. Bring a book. Once in the doctor’s room, I waited another 20 minutes. The staff seemed aware of this and apologized for the wait.
Dr. Yana came in to go over my results including an ultrasound they referred me out to have done. Unfortunately, she could not show me the actual imaging but read a report printout from Imaging Healthcare Specialists that confirmed my condition — a fibroid. She didn’t say much more except that I needed to be referred to see a specialist. I had a lot of questions and she answered them patiently, giving me her full attention. I felt that she genuinely cared about my health. The other nursing staff have always been professional to me at the women’s clinic.
Now I have an appointment with another OBGYN ‘specialist’ at the Logan Heights clinic. I was fortunate to get this appointment for the very next day and I will report back what kind of experience I have there. I’m a bit nervous after discovering that the Logan Heights clinic has a long history of poor reviews but I notice that the family health clinic owner writes a response to those who had a bad experience. Perhaps they are working on some staff development programs.
In summary:
* Ease of getting appointments: easy (just reconfirm your appt time!)
* Wait time: poor to fair for appointments
* Staff professionalism: good (so far in my experience)
* Doctor professionalism: good
* Usability online (
): excellent for test results; poor for messaging and making appointments (My request for a doctor referral online was not answered so I had to call but the staff was very kind and helpful. When using the online appointment setting system, I was initially given a time for my follow up which I specified I could not do and had to call to change it.)

Best family health care center! Friendly and quick staff. I always feel well taken care of here no matter what doctor sees me. Absolutely make an appointment. Sometimes even if there’s walk in hours they won’t take walk ins. Thank you for being so great for us low income patients!

Not satisfied at all with their service! After being terribly sick for 5days, I went in to get help. It cost me $ 60 and the only thing I got from them was ‘yep, you are sick. Go home, rest, get better’. WHAT?!! I have been unemployed for 2y and don’t have health insurance, so $ 60 is a lot for me. Didn’t get any medication or help of any kind. Such a waste of time and money!

The staff was great. I was a walk in and although it took 2 hours, I am just happy they were able to see me.
I am new to Medi-​Cal and thank goodness that I have found this clinic near my home. Hopefully when I make an appointment, things go faster, but either way, I am not complaining.
All I really want in medical service is a friendly face, sincere concern, and that they take the time with me when it is my time. Beach Area Family Health Center served all of these items with flying colors.

Everyone here is very kind. It is very clean, which is something i look for when I find my new doctors office. The nurses are very sweet and accommodation and my doctor is very patient. He listens to everything I has to say, addresses all my issues, and assess all of my health needs. I would highly recommend people to use this center.

This is a great health clinic and it’s the people who work here that make it so different, in that it seems they actually care. I’m so grateful that Dr. Karen Hutchinson is at this clinic. It’s a rarity these days that a doctor doesn’t rush through your appointment to get to the next exam room. Dr. Hutchinson was empathetic and took the time to listen to my concerns and help me to understand how to manage them.
Their Physician’s Assistant Chelsea Kirscher’s guidance has been invaluable. Even Zenny, the gal who handles getting insurance approvals, seems to go above and beyond.
Bottom line, everyone who I’ve encountered at the Beach Area FHC Clinic has treated me with warmth and dignity. Keep up the good work!

I just wanted to update the review as I had been back to the clinic since my last review. This time around I made a appointment. Service was excellent, they took my daughter in within a couple minutes of my appointment time. The doctor was great and gave us several referrals (which I was really grateful for.) I will definitely be returning and I am very appreciative for the support they give to the community.

I come here for my prenatal care and have never had any complaints. I’ve never had a problem with scheduling or appointments, even when I’m running late.
The girls at the front desk are always nice and friendly and in the past months I’ve been coming a few times a week for my prenatal care I’ve seen them have to handle some pretty unhappy and rude patients. I’ve even seen a lady threaten to ‘slap someone’ when she couldn’t get an appointment.
I feel very thankful for the prenatal care that FHC provides for me. They do a great job to make sure all my needs are met.

The doctors at the clinic were helpful for the most part. They were busy and didn’t give me much attention, but, I got what I needed from them.
The rest of the staff… holy s***. Just like the other post about the walk-​in time issues, I experienced the same. They told me to come in at 1:30. I waited outside the clinic because they closed the ENTIRE clinic for everyone to go OUT to lunch at the SAME time. 2 o’clock rolls around and the first person returns. When I asked why they told me 1:30 on the phone, she said, «whoops.»
So I wait at the front desk for the lady doing paperwork to finish what she is doing. She looks at me, waiting in front of her, and looks back down. A minute after this I decide to say «excuse me,» in which she finally just hands me a clipboard with papers to fill out. Was that so hard? I am at the front check-​in desk, this is your JOB.
As I’m filling out the papers, the girls behind the desk are having a brilliant time laughing and carrying on, talking about boys. Other people are waiting in line to check-​in but the girls are having to good a time to give them the attention they should.
Then, with folks waiting in line, one of the girls shrieks, and runs from behind the desk to the front door like a child playing a game. I hear the door slam behind me and she is giggling as she holds the door shut so her friend can’t get into the clinic.
I head into one of the patient rooms, finally, and am lead by a young girl. She takes my blood pressure but is crying. I ask her how she is doing and she goes on about how her boyfriend just ruined her lunch and their relationship.
This clinic is simply awful.

I changed from horrible clinic to beach area family health center. dr, medical assistant, front desk staff are very nice. they’ll take walk-​ins but waiting takes forever. I specially love the location however there is no private parking so park by the bay.