× The federal government has shut down due to the failures of the President and Congress to continue government funding. Millions of Californians receiving benefits from state programs may be impacted. For now, California’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) will continue to provide services and enroll eligible families as long as funding is available. No new federal funding to California WIC will be provided until the President and Congress take action. Families should continue to use their WIC benefits and attend their WIC appointments. This information is subject to change, so please monitor the California WIC website for updates.

Please be wary of potential highly partisan political messaging while visiting federal government websites for information related to the federal government shutdown.

Skip Navigation LinksPCC-Affiliate-CHOW

Top Menu
Left Menu

Health Care Facility Licensing and Certification

Primary Care Clinic - Affiliate  
Change of Ownership Application Packet

A State license is required to operate a “community” or “free” Primary Care Clinic (PCC) in California, which are defined as:

A community clinic is “a clinic operated by a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation that is supported and maintained in whole or in part by donations, bequests, gifts, grants, government funds or contributions that may be in the form of money goods, or services. In a community clinic, any charges to the patient shall be based on the patient's ability to pay, utilizing a sliding scale,” pursuant to Health and Safety Code (HSC) section 1204(a)(1)(A).

A free clinic is “a clinic operated by a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation supported in whole or in part by voluntary donations, bequests, gifts, grants, government funds or contributions that may be in the form of money, goods, or services. In a free clinic there shall be no charges directly to the patient for services rendered or for drugs, medicines, appliances, or apparatuses furnished,” pursuant to HSC section 1204(a)(1)(B).

A clinic corporation on behalf of a PCC that has held a valid, unrevoked, and unsuspended license for at least the immediately preceding five years, with no demonstrated history of repeated or uncorrected violations or any regulation that pose immediate jeopardy to a patient, and that has no pending action to suspend or revoke its license may file an affiliate clinic application to establish a PCC at an additional site or a mobile health care unit, pursuant to HSC section 1218.1. The clinic corporation (parent clinic) that operates the existing licensed PCC may file an affiliate clinic application if all the following conditions are met:

  1. the corporate officers are the same;
  2. are owned and operated by the same nonprofit organization with the same board of directors; and,
  3. have the same medical director or directors and medical policies, procedures, protocols, and standards.

To report a Change of Ownership, you must complete the Primary Care Clinic Change of Ownership Packet. Refer to HSC 1200 through 1245 for information regarding licensure requirements.​

Page Last Updated :