Meet Talitha Phillips of Claris Health

Today we’d like to introduce you to Talitha Phillips.

Hi Talitha, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
The defining moment of my career started with a decision I didn’t want to make.

At the time, I was a college student at Pepperdine University with a very clear plan for my future: business consulting (my plan) or law school (my parents’ plan). Growing up as a missionary kid, I had seen firsthand how challenging a life of service could be, and I wasn’t sure that was the path I wanted for myself.

But everything began to shift when I attended a support group hosted by Claris Health. I remember sitting there, realizing this wasn’t just a service. It was a place where people were truly seen, supported, and cared for in life-changing ways. I signed up to volunteer, assuming it would be a short-term experience. I never imagined that just a year after graduation, at 23 years old, I would step into a staff role… and soon after, be asked to serve as Director. It was a huge leap of faith for the Board, and even more so for me.

If I’m honest, my first instinct was to run in the opposite direction.

And then, in a way I could never have planned, everything shifted. I got a call from the Chuck Norris family—yes, really. They were looking for help caring for their newborn twins, and someone had recommended me. The role required working nights, which meant I needed a part-time job during the day. Claris just happened to fit.

What started as a practical solution became something much deeper. That “in-between” job slowly became a calling. Somewhere along the way, what I thought I wanted for my life gave way to something far more meaningful.

Twenty-five years later, I’m still here. Grateful for the unexpected path, for a little help from Chuck Norris, and for the privilege of being part of something that continues to change lives.

Claris Health itself began over 50 years ago when a small group of women opened a hotline for others in need. Their goal was simple but powerful: to offer education, resources, options, and a listening ear to women who were newly pregnant and often in difficult and uncertain circumstances. From those humble beginnings, Claris has grown into a licensed medical clinic providing comprehensive medical, mental health, and support services to thousands of women and families across Los Angeles each year.

While so much has evolved, what has always stood out to me is how much the heart behind it hasn’t changed. We still exist to meet people in their most vulnerable moments so they don’t feel trapped and so they know they are not alone.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t been a smooth road.

In addition to the normal challenges of growing a healthcare organization—funding, staffing, and scaling services—we’ve had to navigate both an increasingly polarized cultural landscape and the unique realities of serving patients in Los Angeles.

From where I sit, LA presents its own set of challenges. Many of our patients are navigating a highly fragmented healthcare system, along with housing instability, health disparities, and limited access to consistent care. What they’re facing is often far more complex than a single medical appointment can address.

I think about one patient who came to us single, homeless, and unsure what to do after finding out she was pregnant. She later shared, “I knew I was no longer alone… they became my emotional and physical support and helped me rebuild my future.” Today, she’s married with three children. That’s the kind of transformation that reminds us what’s possible when care is truly integrated.

At the same time, as conversations around sexual and reproductive health have become more political, organizations like Claris are often pressured to fit into one side or another. We’ve intentionally resisted that. Our focus has always been on people, not politics—providing clear information, compassionate care, and a space where patients feel heard and supported. We call this the Claris Way.

That approach hasn’t come without cost. There have been seasons where we’ve been misunderstood or misrepresented, losing funding opportunities, being excluded from community health events, and facing efforts to inaccurately label or discredit our work.

But through it all, what has kept me grounded is our patients. Their feedback consistently affirms that Claris is a safe, nonjudgmental place where they can process their options and receive quality care.

While the road hasn’t been easy, those challenges have only strengthened our mission and reinforced the need for more integrated, accessible care for the communities we serve.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Claris Health?
Claris Health is a licensed, accredited healthcare organization providing comprehensive medical, mental health, and support services to individuals and families across Los Angeles. But more than that, we’re working to redefine what accessible, integrated care can look like.

Every day, we see firsthand how fragmented the system can be. Patients aren’t just navigating a medical need, they’re navigating housing instability, financial pressure, mental health challenges, and a lack of coordinated support. No one should have to navigate all of that alone.

What sets Claris apart is our commitment to whole-person, integrated care. We don’t just treat a moment; we care for the full context of a person’s life. From pregnancy care and prenatal services to STI testing, therapy, and parenting support, we come alongside our patients with continuity, compassion, and a long-term perspective.

At the core of our work is what we call the Claris Way. We’ve chosen not to operate from a political or ideological framework, but instead to focus on people. Every patient who walks through our doors is met with clarity, dignity, and a nonjudgmental space to understand their options and make informed decisions.

What we’re most proud of is the trust we’ve built over the past 50 years. Patients consistently tell us that Claris feels different. They are seen, heard, and genuinely cared for. That trust is the foundation that allows us to keep growing and innovating.

And we’re just getting started.

Looking ahead, that vision is coming to life through the Clarity Together Campus—a planned 28,000-square-foot hub in Inglewood, with groundbreaking anticipated this summer. Designed to bring medical care, mental health services, and critical support resources together under one roof, the campus will include clinical space, counseling rooms, classrooms, case management offices, and even free drop-in childcare and a playground.

By co-locating community partners, we’re not just expanding services, we’re addressing the very fragmentation we see every day. The campus will create a more seamless, holistic model of care, with the capacity to serve more than 3,000 individuals each year. Our hope is that it becomes a first-of-its-kind model in Los Angeles—one that can be replicated in communities across the country.

We believe healthcare should be clear, connected, and centered on the individual, and we’re building that future now.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
One thing I would add is that at the heart of everything we do is a simple belief: people deserve to be cared for, not categorized. In a space that is often defined by labels and division, we’ve chosen to stay focused on the individual in front of us.

Looking ahead, our goal is not just to expand Claris, but to help redefine what integrated, accessible care can look like in cities like Los Angeles and beyond. If we can build a model that truly meets people where they are (medically, emotionally, and practically) we believe it’s something that can be replicated and scaled to serve communities across the country.

And on a personal level, what I’ve learned over the past 25 years is that the work I once resisted has become the work I feel most called to. That’s something I don’t take for granted.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.clarishealth.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarishealth/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clarishealth
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/claris-health
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@clarishealth6018