The Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic (CMCC) is named after Charlotte Maxwell, who died of ovarian cancer in 1988. Charlotte strongly believed that the complementary therapies that enhanced the quality of her life, in her last months, should be made accessible to women who would not otherwise have access to them.

In 1991, the CMCC was founded by a dedicated group of health care providers and women with cancer to answer the unmet need to provide low-income women with free complementary alternative therapies. After developing a procedure manual, securing funds, and hiring the first staff member, CMCC opened for services in January 1992. In 1995, CMCC received a commendation from the Berkeley City Council and in 1996, it became an “official” 501c3 non-profit agency.

Tom Maxwell (Charlotte's brother), his wife Anne, Mary Kemp (Charlotte's sister), and her husband Paul (left to right)

Initially, the Clinic provided only the core complementary therapies to 10-15 women on a half day each Saturday. The Clinic grew, and is still growing, as a result of community response, recognition, and support. Since its beginnings, CMCC has quadrupled its clinic hours and maintains a pool of over 275 volunteer practitioners. Currently the clinic serves approximately 610 women, many of them critically ill.