Dr. C. David Molina's Medical Bag

Latino doctors, nurses and other medical professionals have shaped the nation by providing care to vulnerable patients.  

Dr. C. David Molina (1926–1996) was a physician and entrepreneur. In 1980, he founded Molina Medical Centers (now Molina Healthcare, Inc.) to serve the needs of working families in Southern California. This gallery is named after Dr. Molina and his wife Mary Molina. 

Dr. C. David Molina used this physician’s bag which held medical items such as a stethoscope and blood pressure monitor at the start of his medical career. 

“A woman came up with a baby in a stroller, and she wanted the baby seen. The administrator said, "Well, the clinic doesn't open until Monday," and she said, "Well, my baby is sick now." My father went to his car. He got his black bag. He examined this child. The child had an infection, and so he wrote a prescription for this woman and gave it to her. She was a little embarrassed. She turned to the woman that was there with my father, the administrator, and said, "I don't have any money to buy the medicine." So my father gave her the money to pay for the prescription. As she was leaving, she said to the administrator, "Is there anything I can do to repay Dr. Molina for what he's done?" So on Monday, when the clinic opened, she returned with a dozen tamales.”     

Dr. Mario Molina 

The Molina Family

Listen to Dr. Mario Molina, son of Dr. C. David Molina as he discusses the importance of the Molina Family Latino Gallery and the National Museum of the American Latino. 

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Mario Molina. Foro Storytellers, 2021. National Museum of the American Latino
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