A Los Angeles LGBTQ+ health clinic is scrambling to find a new doctor after its 36-year-old founder suddenly died in early July.
Under the mission statement “queer founded, mission obsessed, Haven Health has been primarily caring for the LGBTQ+ community since Dr. Jack O’Brien helped establish the clinic in January 2026.
“He thought everyone deserved the best and he wanted to make sure they got it,” Judy O’Brien, the late doctor’s mother, said. “It’s such a horrible tragedy because I always say he was on the cusp of greatness.”
His colleagues at Haven Health said they are in a race against the clock, to keep his vision alive and business afloat. Because all medical clinics are legally required to be owned by a physician, Haven Health is in a race against the lock to find a new doctor owner.
“We are a small practice, so we only have one physician,” Mike Piscadlo, co-founder of Haven Health, said. “We do have an amazing physician assistant Jake Collins, but he is not a physician, so he cannot be the owner of those shares.”
When O’Brien died, the clinic had to stop the operations. It’s now raising money online to keep the doors open while searching for a new physician.
“When you talk to other queer people, when they are able to be with a queer provider, it creates phycological safety,” Piscadlo said. “It allows them to be clear about what they are going through without fear of judgement or refusal of care.”
O’Brien’s family and friends said that the late doctor was always there for his community.
“The ironic thing now is Haven Health needs the community’s help,” John O’Briend, the deceased doctor’s father, said.
Friends and family planned a memorial service for Dr. O Brien early next week. His cause of death was not disclosed.