Hours of Operation

Mon. & Fri., 8am to 5pm
Tues. - Thurs., 8am - 7pm
Sat. 8am - 12pm

Mission Statement

"The mission of the Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley is to help ensure the survival of American Indian families and individuals by providing quality health care, by supporting the healing process, by encouraging, educating, and empowering our clients in seeking and maintaining wellness and enhancing their quality of life, and by facilitating the equity and accessibility of comprehensive health care for the American Indian community. Every effort on behalf of the center and its programs by its Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers, is directed toward the realization of that mission."

View our listing on GuidStar Non-Profit Database where you can view our 990 forms and other pertinent information

The Health of American Indians of Santa Clara County
(Includes demographics of American Indians living in San Jose (Santa Clara County) such as morbidity and mortality trends, general health risks, children's and elders' health issues, population size, and projected population growth.)

Background History

The Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley Inc. began in the hearts and minds of many different people at different times during the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Relocation Period from 1952 to 1979. The need for an Indian-orientated multi-service social and medical center grew as the American Indian population increased from fewer than 150 individuals to more than 5,000.

In 1970, the United American Indians of Santa Clara Valley, Inc. reorganized its clubhouse into a community-based information and referral agency under a board of directors representing many Indian nations. The new organization became the San Jose American Indian Center.

In 1975, the Indian Center established a one-desk health unit. By 1977, the unit grew large enough to become an agency of its own. The newly incorporated Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley, Inc. started as a poorly funded not-for-profit clinic with no private examination rooms, dental chairs held together with dental floss, and no running water.

In the 1990s, the organization has been recognized by the Indian Health Service as an Urban Indian Health Program in California. In 1993, the IHC obtained Federally Qualified Health Care Status (FQHC). In 2001, the IHC was surveyed by the Accreditation Association of Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC).

Directors and Key Staff
(Click on photos to read bios)