After years on Bunker Hill the Keck Medicine of USC—Downtown Los Angeles clinic has moved. Highlighted by a ribbon-cutting ceremony last month, the clinic features a host of new services to offer.
Part of the reason for the move to 830 South Flower St. was to increase visibility, which in turn would allow the clinic to serve more people.
According to Dr. Gregory Taylor, II, the clinic’s new medical director, the old location “was small, which didn’t allow us to provide the growing downtown community access to same-day care and access to a full barrage of specialists.” Taylor estimates that he sees about 100 patients per week, which he says is more than what he would’ve seen at the old location.
The new location is 7,000 square feet, with plans for expansion of an additional 8,000 square feet to be completed next year. The clinic offers an array of services, including imaging and digital mammography, cardiac stress testing and orthopedic surgery. The clinic also has nine exam rooms, a pharmacy and an X-ray room.
With all of the hustle and bustle associated with downtown living, Taylor says that many of the patients that he sees have the same, common issue: stress.
“You have to take time out to do something to reduce your stress if you want to want to invest in your health,” Taylor said.
He says that complaints of stress are particularly high among young people. He advises them to make conscious efforts to help reduce their stress. He also tells them to identify and understand that stress causes inflammation, which causes disease.
“I tell people that life is a risk-benefit analysis,” Taylor said. “A lot of people have stress on their jobs, some people have stress from society. The point is, if you’re willing to accept certain benefits, then you have to take the risk to get that benefit.”
Dr. Taylor is no stranger to risk-benefit analysis. Against the advice of his instructors, he skipped the traditional path of going straight from medical school to a residency program. After listening to a lecture at George Washington University, he was inspired to take a year off to travel to Spain to learn Spanish. The move paid off, as a large number of the patients he’s seen through his career speak Spanish as their primary language. Taylor also speaks Mandarin.
He didn’t always want to be a doctor. As a child Taylor dreamed of being an astronaut. As an adolescent he considered a career in politics. He graduated from Morehouse with a degree in International Studies. With a bachelor’s degree under his belt he decided to pursue medicine, even if some schools weren’t as optimistic.
“Howard [University] gave me the opportunity to be a physician. Other people didn’t want me, but Howard did.”
For a long time the Black community has been besieged by diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. However Taylor says that these diseases are becoming common in people of all races.
“I think it is a lot of a person’s choices but it is the environment in which you grow up in, and environment influences adult behavior,” he said. “ One of Taylor’s specialties is geriatric medicine. He says that one of the biggest issues older patients struggle with is the possibility of losing independence. Discussions often turn to ways on improving quality of life for patients in their remaining years. He helps older patients regain independence with a program he tailored that involves the family.
“You need to have strong muscles to negotiate the aging process,” Taylor said. “You need to have strong bones. And you need to stay as mentally active as possible.”
Taylor is also actively involved in community outreach. He says that with better information people can make better choices.
“The sooner people get the education, we hope that behaviors will change. And then we can have a more productive, healthier America.”
For more information on Dr. Gregory Taylor, II, and the new Keck Medicine facility, visit www.keckmedicine.org.
