Reaching New Heights Foundation Hosts Stand Down Outreach Event for Veterans and Homeless in San Bernardino
Non-Profit Organization Takes Action to Combat Homeless Crisis in San Bernardino and Support Local Veterans
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (August 24, 2022)—Reaching New Heights Foundation (RNHF), a nonprofit veteran organization, is hosting a Veterans Stand Down and Homeless Resource Event on Wednesday, October 12, 2021, at Perris Hill Park in San Bernardino. The one-day event is designed to support Inland Empire veterans and to provide much-needed resources to the area’s homeless population.
On average, there are 960 veterans a year who are homeless in San Bernardino. The 2020 San
Bernardino Homeless Count Survey shows the homeless count in 2020 increased 19.9% over 2019. RNHF is hoping the Veteran Stand Down event will be a way to take action against the extensive homeless issue that has been referred to as a “human services crisis.”
“We believe in making a difference so we’re bringing over sixty different service providers to one place. We are asking that the providers not just hand out information, but provide on-site services,” said RNHF Founder and CEO Sgt. Major (Ret.) Gregory Coker. “Normally it would takea veteran or a homeless individual several months to receive this kind of service we’re providing in one day.”
In the military, a stand down is an opportunity to pause and regroup to help those in need. With this Veterans Stand Down event, two underserved and at-risk populations—veterans and the homeless—will be able to regroup with access to an abundance of resources.
“Veterans will receive surplus clothing, access to medical and dental service, counseling and more. The homeless will receive free food, clothing, haircuts, medical checkups, and showers, said Coker. “We want to give our homeless and veterans a hand up, not a handout.”
RNHF is collaborating with local city, county, state, and federal organizations to host the event.
Key supporters include San Bernardino County Veterans Affairs, VA Loma Linda Veteran HealthCare System, The Salvation Army, United Way, Goodwill, IEHP, Molina Healthcare, San Manuel Casino and Volunteers for Veterans Foundation.
After the event, RNHF is committed to following up on the success of all individuals who register to receive help and will provide 6 -12 months of additional support.
EVENT DETAILS:
October 12, 2022
Perris Hill Park
1135 E. Highland Ave. San Bernardino, CA 92408 10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Event Website: standdownvet.com
About Reaching New Heights Foundation
Founded in 2013, Reaching New Heights Foundation, Inc. is an award-winning non-profit organization created by a veteran for veterans. It proudly helps Inland Empire veterans successfully transition from active-duty military service, incarceration, or homelessness to life as civilians and productive members of society. Reaching New Heights assists nearly 300 veterans a month with a variety of services including housing, jobs, educational resources, mentorships and more. For more information visit www.rnhf.org
“Women should not take chances. Every woman should get an annual breast cancer screening and because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, now is the perfect time to schedule an exam,” said LaSalle Medical Associates CEO Dr. Arteaga.
REDLANDS, CALIF. LaSalle Medical Associates encourages women to come in for breast cancer screening during October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. ” October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer.,” said the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network says mammograms should start at 40 for women at average risk, but before40 for women with a higher risk profile, such as a genetic mutation, family history, a benign breast disease diagnosis, or radiation therapy to the chest at a young age.
“Women should not take chances. Every woman should get an annual breast cancer screening and because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, now is the perfect time to schedule an exam,” said LaSalle Medical Associates CEO Dr. Albert Arteaga.
Dr. Arteaga himself lost a younger sister to breast cancer when she was in her 40s. “There were three of us,” said Dr. Arteaga. “Our youngest sister never opened up to tell either me or her older sister—both of us being doctors—that she had a lump on her breast. Later we learned that she kept making excuses about it, ‘I bumped myself’ or ‘It’s just a bruise’ and she basically ignored it for over six months.
“She was in her early 40s and unfortunately, the disease spreads more rapidly in younger women than it does in women who are past menopause, due to female hormones that promote growth. Our family had no history of cancer, and she was otherwise healthy. But at the age of 48 years, six months, and 28 days she died.
“Once she was diagnosed, she was a good patient and followed her doctors’ orders and participated fully in her treatment. The cancer metastasized to her brain, and she was able to beat that. But in the end, it spread to her liver, and that was the end.”
When asked what he would say to women about this tragic disease, Dr. Arteaga said, “Stop living in denial! At the first sign of a lump, make an appointment to see your physician. And make it a habit to get screened every October when breast cancer awareness month comes around, which is a good way to remember it’s time for a routine mammogram.”
LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc., clinics accept Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Molina, Care 1st, Health Net, and Inland Empire Health Plan coverage, as well as Medicare Medi-Cal and cash.
For more information or to make an appointment call the office closest to you: Fontana (909) 823-4454; San Bernardino17th Street (909) 887-6494; San Bernardino Mt. Vernon Ave. (909) 884-9091; Rialto (855) 349-6019; and Hesperia(760) 947-2161.
LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc. is one of the largest, independent, and Latino-owned healthcare companies in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The corporate office is in Redlands.
LaSalle operates six clinics employing more than 100 dedicated healthcare professionals, treating children, adults and seniors in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. LaSalle’s patients are primarily served by Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. LaSalle also accepts Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Molina, Care 1st, Health Net, and Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) coverage.
LaSalle is also an Independent Practice Association (IPA) of independently contracted doctors, hospitals, and clinics, delivering high quality patient care to approximately 380,000 patients in Fresno, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin and Tulare counties.
“The San Bernardino County Medical Society is honored to select Dr. Arteaga for this recognition because he is such a loyal Society member and a standout in health care, advancing critical work in medical treatment and equity in the Latinx community,” said Society CEO Alison Elsner.
REDLANDS, CALIF. The San Bernardino County Medical Society has recognized LaSalle Medical Associates CEO Dr. Albert Arteaga for his dedicated service to the people of San Bernardino County. Dr. Arteaga founded LaSalle Medical Associates 38 years ago. LaSalle’s clinics have served thousands of children and their parents.
“The San Bernardino County Medical Society is honored to select Dr. Arteaga for this recognition because he is such a loyal Society member and a standout in health care, advancing critical work in medical treatment and equity in the Latinx community,” said Society CEO Alison Elsner.
LaSalle Medical Associates’ Hispanic roots run deep. Dr. Arteaga took his medical education at LaSalle Medical School in Mexico City. LaSalle is a French name and the colleges that bear this name trace their origin to the first Latin American college founded by St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, founder of the De La Salle Brothers religious order and the Patron Saint of all teachers.
“I chose to use the LaSalle name for my clinics to give it a subtle connection to its Hispanic roots. People from Mexico and other Latin American countries recognize the name and the quality associated with it,” said Dr. Arteaga.
“I don’t doubt that my own Hispanic heritage and ability to speak Spanish helps me connect with our Hispanic patients,” said Dr. Arteaga. “Our clinics are here to treat all patients, regardless of their race or ethnicity. We want everyone to come, and we treat African American, Asian, and white patients. Overall, some 60 to 65 percent of our patients are Hispanic.”
LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc., clinics accept Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Molina, Care 1st, Health Net, and Inland Empire Health Plan coverage, as well as Medicare Medi-Cal and cash.
For more information call the office closest to you: Fontana (909) 823-4454; San Bernardino 17th Street (909) 887-6494; San Bernardino Mt. Vernon Ave. (909) 884-9091; Rialto (855) 349-6019; and Hesperia (760) 947-2161. TheVictorville clinic that was temporarily closed during the height of the Covid pandemic due to staff shortages, will reopen before the end of the year.
About LaSalle Medical Associates
LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc. is one of the largest, independent, and Latino-owned healthcare companies in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The corporate office is in Redlands.
LaSalle operates six clinics employing more than 100 dedicated healthcare professionals, treating children, adults and seniors in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. LaSalle’s patients are primarily served by Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. LaSalle also accepts Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Molina, Care 1st, Health Net, and Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) coverage.
LaSalle is also an Independent Practice Association (IPA) of independently contracted doctors, hospitals, and clinics, delivering high quality patient care to approximately 380,000 patients in Fresno, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, and Tulare counties.
April Reya a medical assistant, gives the COVID-19 vaccination shot to Vicki Creighton, of Riverside, Recently, at the LaSalle Medical Associates medical office located in Rialto, Calif. .
“If it weren’t for the vaccine, I’m sure I would have ended up in the hospital,” said LaSalle Medical’s Compliance Officer, Barbara Graber.
(REDLANDS, Calif.) “We started the second week of July, now every Wednesday is “Covid Vaccine Day for Kids,” says Dr. Albert Arteaga, pediatrician, and the CEO of LaSalle Medical Associates.
“Now that Moderna has released its three variations on a Covid vaccine for younger people we are full speed ahead,” says Dr. Arteaga, “… we have been tracking the Covid 19 pandemic very closely and believe that the Moderna vaccine is the most effective option currently available.”
LaSalle Medical’s Compliance Officer, Barbara Graber, notes that five of LaSalle’s six clinics are providing Wednesday shots for youngsters. “We started slowly,” says Graber, “… now we are increasing the number of Covid-19 vaccines given weekly. We’ve given 170 shots in the first two weeks of August and parents are responding to our targeted internal outreach program that urges them to bring in their children for their vaccine.”
Graber says being proactive with outreach to clinic patients leads to more people getting the vaccine. “Our team is calling to ask parents to bring in their youngsters to get vaccinated. This makes prevention likely to be a lot more effective.”
The three vaccines are for children aged 6 months to 5 years, 6 to 11 years, and 12 years and older. There is a four-week wait between first and second shots.
Graber contracted Covid-19 herself and says, “If it weren’t for the vaccine, I’m sure I would have ended up in thehospital.” She had the two-shot regimen as well as two booster shots. “This vaccine has proven itself and is now an important addition to our tool kit to help people stay healthy, safe and out of the hospital.”
Barbara Graber, manager of compliance and special projects at LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc.
LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc., clinics accept Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Molina, Care 1st, Health Net, and Inland Empire Health Plan coverage, as well as Medicare Medi-Cal and cash.
For more information about LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc. call the office closest to you: Fontana (909) 823-4454; San Bernardino 17th Street (909) 887-6494; San Bernardino Mt. Vernon Ave. (909) 884-9091; Rialto (855) 349-6019; Hesperia (760) 947-2161; and Victorville (855) 349-6019.
LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc. is one of the largest, independent, and Latino-owned healthcare companies in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The corporate office is in Redlands.
LaSalle operates six clinics employing more than 100 dedicated healthcare professionals, treating children, adults and seniors in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. LaSalle’s patients are primarily served by Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. LaSalle also accepts Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Molina, Care 1st, Health Net, and Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) coverage.
LaSalle is also an Independent Practice Association (IPA) of independently contracted doctors, hospitals and clinics, delivering high quality patient care to approximately 365,000 patients in Fresno, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin and Tulare counties.
Yamileth Monarrez, joins The Making Hope Happen Foundation’s Inland Empire Men’s Mental program
“The addition of Ms. Monarrez to our training staff allows us to accommodate more students for our suicide prevention and mental health first aid classes,” says Ceseña.
(San Bernardino, Calif.)“I’m very happy to have been promoted to being an instructor by the Inland Empire Men’s Mental Health program,“ says YamilethMonarrez, “because the courses address issues that I’ve personally experienced and now I feel I can do something to make things better.“
The Making Hope Happen Foundation‘s Inland Empire Men’s Mental programoffers free classesthat educate people on how to recognize signs of mental distress in people they know and love and teaches them how to get friends and family members to be willing to talk about what’s going on.
Program managerGerzonCeseña says, “Men—especially minority men—tend to be very reluctant to talk about problems they’re having. Instead, they often shut themselves off, which can make things worse. Our program is all about getting rid of the idea that real men don’t need help and instead, that real friends can help friends when things are tough.”
“Promoting Ms. Monarrez to our training staff allows us to accommodate more students for our suicide prevention and mental health first aid classes,” says Ceseña.
Yamileth Monarrez is a senior at UC Riverside and will be graduating in December. She spent a semester abroad at London South Bank University, taking a variety of courses, andpsychology is an area she has been interested in for some time.
The exposure to a different culture broadenedMonarrez‘s horizonswhile at the same time, showed how people everywhere often need to deal with the same problems.
Monarrez says, “At UCR I‘ve served as a mentor to freshmen. I really enjoy helping people and I wanted to work for IE Men’s Mental Health because the program emphasizes the need to de-stigmatize mental health issues so that people can get the help they need.”
Making Hope Happen is a nonprofit foundation linked with the San Bernardino City Unified School District. The nonprofit is based on the philosophy of Gallop Senior Scientist Dr. Shane J. Lopez. Hope allows people to envision a better future, design a path toward that future, and take purposeful steps toward it. As a result of a deep commitment to this quest, the San Bernardino Community and School Alliance (CASAwas reorganized and renamed the Making Hope Happen Foundation).
The Foundation’s Inland Empire Men’s Mental Health programoffers free mental health training for people who would like to be able to help friends or family members that would like to learn effective ways to approach friends or family members who seem to he hasemotional or mental health problems but aren’t sure about what to say or do.
For more information on The IE Men’s Mental Health Program,go to the group’s web page at IEMensMentalHealth.org or call (909) 347-7234.
The Salvation Army Hospitality House Program Manager Naomi Goforth
“All of us who are part of the Hospitality House team love being able to help single women in need, and men or women with children, get back in control of their lives.”
(San Bernardino, Calif.) The San Bernardino Salvation Army Hospitality House stands ready to house homeless families and single women who need temporary, stable shelter. Their target population also includes multi-generational families, and single men with children as well.
“The Salvation Army Hospitality House serves as a safe refuge that provides residents with a supportive, caring environment and all the resources they need to deal with a wide variety of personal and/or family problems. It all starts with emergency shelter that can keep participants safely housed for 30, 60, or 90 days, depending on their circumstances,” says Program Manager Naomi Goforth.
At intake, each new arrival is assessed by trained Salvation Army intake staff. Once the scope of a client’s needs has been determined, each family is given a detailed individualized case plan and assigned to a case manager who will maintain close contact during their entire stay.
Each family’s case plan includes a comprehensive goals and objectives that cover their intake, transition to permanent housing, help finding a steady job, legal advocacy, child welfare aid, and education. Every resident is treated as an individual with individual needs and every case is different and gets a customized case plan.
“People who come to Hospitality House may have been sleeping in their cars or were recently released from a hospital. At intake, each new resident gets clothing, bed linens, hygiene products, and a chance to take a breath after whatever ordeal they have just gone through,” says Goforth.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do,” says one recent Hospitality House graduate.
“I’m a single mom and I lost my job during the pandemic. Thank goodness, at least my 15-year-old car was paid off and when we were no longer able to pay rent, that’s where we slept. I heard about Hospitality House from a friend and the people there have helped me find a new job, secure a place to live, and even got me enrolled in a course that’s going to add to my skill set so I can advance in my new-found career.”
Goforth says, “Our residents don’t just sit around and spin their wheels. They actively work their case plan. Our case managers are good at finding each individual’s motivation to resolve their homelessness and get back on their feet.”
“Sometimes, that may include a referral to one of our partner agencies for things like mental health services, substance use, and legal aid. Whatever they need, we can either provide help in-house or get them connected to the right providers,” says Goforth.
As current resident K.L. notes, “I had a pretty bad rent history and I knew not many landlords would want to take a chance on me, even though I now have a decent job. But the Salvation Army has helped me reestablish a better tenant history and now I have a place lined up to move to when my stay here ends next week.”
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian Church. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. To donate, call 1-800 SATRUCK.
Dr. Albert and Maria Arteaga of LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc.
“You can’t just have the vaccine in stock and wait for people to show up. That’s why we reach out to let people know their children can be vaccinated at any time when our clinics are open.”
(Redlands, Calif.) Dr. Albert Arteaga, MD, CEO of LaSalle Medical Associates, says that all LaSalle clinics have started delivering the Covid-19 vaccine to children.
“We have the Covid19 vaccines in stock, and we have completed training our people on dosages, proper delivery, and administration,” says Dr. Arteaga. “We also have started an active outreach campaign to all of our patients to let them know they can bring their children in to get vaccinated.”
LaSalle Medical Associates has been ahead of the curve for vaccine administration for decades, particularly for pediatric illnesses. “I remember 25 years ago we thought childhood vaccinations must have been around 100 percent. We were very far off. The national statistics came out saying compliance was only 30–40 percent. At LaSalle we were doing a lot better, around 60 percent, but that still did not meet our standards, and that’s why we have been so focused on outreach ever since,” says Dr. Arteaga.
Dr. Arteaga adds, “Since the government started compiling records and keeping track of the percentage of people getting vaccinated, we now have a much more accurate picture of how effective vaccination programs are.”
Being proactive leads to higher vaccine compliance. Calling parents to let them know they should bring in their youngsters to get vaccinated means that prevention is likely to be a lot more effective.
April Reya a medical assistant, gives the COVID-19 vaccination shot to Vicki Creighton, of Riverside, Recently, at the LaSalle Medical Associates medical office located in Rialto, Calif. Creighton received the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
Dr. Arteaga also reveals his personal shot-administration secret: “Children typically don’t like getting a shot. So, I tell them this shot is painless. But if they do feel pain, I can always give them a second shot for the pain. I’ve never had a child ask for that second shot.”
A nurse or physician’s bedside manner means a lot, particularly with children. Keeping things light and avoiding a stern attitude helps the entire experience go down more easily for both the patient and the caregiver.
LaSalle’s clinics have been recognized in the past for their well-above-average vaccination delivery, recording rates above 80 or even 90 percent compliance for flu shots, for example. Dr. Arteaga says, “It’s all because we really push for people to care for themselves.”
Dr. Arteaga also tackles the myth that if people are feeling ill, they should not get a vaccine shot. “Not true,” says the doctor, “unless you’re quite ill. If you have a cold, the sniffles, whatever, it’s perfectly safe and advisable to get your Covid 19 Vaccine.”
Dr. Arteaga restates his mantra that it’s not enough to have vaccines on the shelf. They need to be available during all regularly open clinic hours, and that’s the longstanding LaSalle policy.
LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc., clinics accept Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Molina, Care 1st, Health Net, and Inland Empire Health Plan coverage, as well as Medicare and Medi-Cal.
For more information about LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc call the office closest to you: Fontana (909) 823-4454; San Bernardino 17th Street (909) 887-6494; San Bernardino Mt. Vernon Ave. (909) 884-9091; Rialto (855) 349-6019; Hesperia (760) 947-2161; and Victorville (855) 349-6019.
April Reya a medical assistant, gives the COVID-19 vaccination shot to Alicia Cazenave, of San Bernardino, Recently,at the LaSalle Medical Associates medical office located in Rialto, Calif. Cazenave received the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine. (Photo by Valda Wilson)
“People of color are tired of being treated differently by doctors because of their skin color. At LaSalle, we pride ourselves on treating all patients with respect and giving them the care, they need, regardless of their ethnicity,” said Dr. Albert Arteaga, MD, founder and CEO of LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc.
In a new policy statement, “Eliminating Race-Based Medicine,” pre-published online May 2, 2022, in Pediatrics, the AAP observes that race is a historically derived social construct that has no place as a biologic proxy. Over the years, the medical field has inaccurately applied race correction or race adjustment factors in its work, resulting in differential approaches to disease management and disparate clinical outcomes.
“The American Academy of Pediatrics is taking an important step toward dismantling race-based medicine. This effort calls for acknowledging the impact that differential lived experiences have on individual and population health outcomes through a race-conscious health equity lens rather than through approaches that have inappropriately identified skin color as an independent risk-adjusting variable,” Dr. Wright said.
“Social determinants of health need to be carefully considered in the development of care delivery strategies including factors embedded in broad categories such as access, the physical environmental and community supports. Evidence informed incorporation of these factors is vital in all areas of medicine.”
“We are honored to have more Doctors to help serve the thousands of patients who have placed their trust in our network of primary physicians and healthcare professionals in California,” said Dr. Albert Arteaga founder and Chief Executive officer of LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc. Left to Right: Dr. Joseph V. Selvarj, Dr. Albert Arteaga, Dr. Cheryl Emoto, and Dr. Felix A. Albano.
Dr. Albert Arteaga, MD, CEO of LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc., says, “As a minority-owned organization, we have never treated any patient—adult or child—with any but the most conscientious and rigorous care. Many of our doctors and support staff are themselves minorities and they know very well how important it is to make all patients feel comfortable and to deliver to all patients the highest standard, the gold standard, of care.”
Race-based care has been pervasive for decades. One example is how some pediatricians deal with Black children who may be suffering from a urinary tract infection. According to Dr. Joseph L. Wright, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP, from American Academy of Pediatrics, rather than apply the gold standard test, they use a lesser procedure because they assume that Black children don’t get urinary tract infections as often as white children.
April Reya a medical assistant, gives the COVID-19 vaccination shot to Vicki Creighton, of Riverside, Recently, at the LaSalle Medical Associates medical office located in Rialto, Calif. Creighton received the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
But that is not the case at LaSalle. “When we interview prospective providers, we make sure that they are in sync with our values and standards,” says Dr. Arteaga. “The gold standard is the only standard we apply to the people under our care.”
After two years of virtual doctor visits, all of LaSalle six clinics are open for person-to-person patient visits. Clinics are now open in San Bernardino, Rialto, Fontana, Hesperia and Victorville which is temporarily closed.
“The evolution of modern medicine has produced incredible advancements and accomplishments in health care,” Dr. Wright said. “But we must acknowledge and address the stark inequities that persist in leaving vulnerable populations behind. We are better than this. Now is the time for change.”
For more information or to make an appointment at a LaSalle Medical Associates Clinic call: Fontana (909) 823-4454; San Bernardino 17th Street (909) 887-6494 pediatrics only clinic; San Bernardino Mt. Vernon Ave. (909) 884-9091; Rialto (855) 349-6019; and Hesperia (760) 947-2161.
LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc. is one of the largest, independent, and Latino-owned healthcare companies in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The corporate office is in Redlands.
LaSalle operates six clinics employing more than 100 dedicated healthcare professionals, treating children, adults and seniors in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. LaSalle’s patients are primarily served by Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. LaSalle also accepts Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Molina, Care 1st, Health Net, and Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) coverage.
LaSalle is also an Independent Practice Association (IPA) of independently contracted doctors, hospitals, and clinics, delivering high quality patient care to approximately365,000 patients in Fresno, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, and Tulare counties.
“We are honored to have more Doctors to help serve the thousands of patients who have placed their trust in our network of primary physicians and healthcare professionals in California,” said Dr. Albert Arteaga founder and Chief Executive officer of LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc. Left to Right: Dr. Joseph V. Selvarj, Dr. Albert Arteaga, Dr. Cheryl Emoto, and Dr. Felix A. Albano.
“People are tired of virtual doctor visits,” says LaSalle President Dr. Albert Arteaga, “they want to see their doctor in person again, and we want them to know that at LaSalle Medical Associates, the doctor is in.”
(Redlands, Calif.)The Covid-19 pandemic in the USA has many people feeling like they are between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, deaths and hospitalizations are declining, but on the other hand, a new variation is causing rising infections.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says the pandemic is receding, but people still need to take precautions.
Dr. Anthony Stephen Fauci OMRI director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Chief Medical Advisor to the President is saying that we are moving from a pandemic to a less virulent phase, the Associated Press reported on April 27.
In other words, Covid is not going away. Like colds or the flu, it may be here to stay, but weaker. But that does not mean we can just pretend everything is like it was before Covid-19.
Dr. Albert Arteaga, the President of LaSalle Medical Associates, says that the health care providers that provide services through his organization’s network, have been seeing patients remotely for the past two years and those patients want personal patient-to-doctor contact again.
“Thankfully,” says Arteaga, “we now are in a position to accommodate in-person patient visits again. At LaSalle, the doctor is in!”
To wear a mask or not wear a mask, that is the question. One person who still wears a mask when she goes to the supermarket said, “I still wear a mask when I’m out in public places because in the two years we’ve all been told we should wear them, I have not had a cold or the flu, let alone the Covid. Masks seem to keep all the viruses away.”
LaSalle Medical Associates operates clinics in Fontana, Hesperia, Rialto, Victorville and two in San Bernardino. La Salle has also been teaming up with community-based organizations, including churches, to administer free Covid vaccine shots.
Maria and Dr. Albert Arteaga. The California Medical Association awarded Dr. Albert Arteaga the “Ethnic Physician’s Leadership Award,” recognizing his contributions to medical care in the Latino community.
For more information or an appointment to a LaSalle Clinic, visit LaSalleMedicalAssociates.com or call (909) 890-0407.
LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc. is one of the largest, independent, and Latino-owned healthcare companies in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The corporate office is in Redlands.
LaSalle operates six clinics employing more than 100 dedicated healthcare professionals, treating children, adults and seniors in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. LaSalle’s patients are primarily served by Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. LaSalle also accepts Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Molina, Care 1st, Health Net, and Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) coverage.
LaSalle is also an Independent Practice Association (IPA) of independently contracted doctors, hospitals and clinics, delivering high quality patient care to approximately 365,000 patients in Fresno, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin and Tulare counties.
LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc Celebrates 30 years of medical service. Left to right: Anna Canton, Human Resource Manager, Kristina Hlebo, Finance Assistant, Carl Meier, executive vice president, Dr. Albert Arteaga CEO, Alexandra Acosta, Director of Finance and Lizette Noriega, Human Resource Assistant, Kristina Hlebo, Finance Assistant, Alexandra Acosta, Director of Finance and Lizette Noriega, Human Resource Assistant.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) In June of 1984, a young doctor and his wife, a nurse, opened a family medical practice called LaSalle Medical Associates in Fontana. Their goal: provide affordable health care, with dignity and respect, to all in the Inland Empire at http://knockyourhealth.com/wbv/.
Three decades later, Dr. Albert and Maria Arteaga have gone far beyond making their goal a reality. They are now recognized as one of the leading health care providers in the Inland Empire, if not all of California.
“We have had some markers of success,” Dr. Arteaga says. “We went from two employees – my wife and I – to a fully staffed clinic. We opened more clinics. Then we started our own IPA (independent practice association) to keep up with new demands to make health care more and more efficient. We are making people healthier.”
“It has always been our goal to treat as many patients as we could while giving them the best health care possible,” he said.
Some, who have recognized LaSalle Medical Associates as a leader in health care along with www.motorcyclepundit.com , by giving them awards for their endeavors, include:
The federal Center for Disease Control, which recognized Dr. Arteaga as California’s first Childhood Immunization Champion. This award recognized his efforts in educating the parents of LaSalle’s pediatric patients, and the greater Inland Empire community, of the importance of childhood immunizations
The California Medical Association, which recognized Dr. Arteaga with its Ethnic Physician’s Leadership Award, recognizing his contributions to improving health care in the Latino community
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Resolution Award for outstanding community efforts
The San Bernardino County Medical Society’s Merlin Hendrickson, M.D. Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Community. Dr. Arteaga was recognized for his efforts to provide health services to Inland Empire children.
Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), as Riverside and San Bernardino counties’ best health care provider, and for being one of the top enrollers in all of California in the state’s former Healthy Families program
The African American Health Initiative as a model provider in a two-year study of Black health care in San Bernardino County.
Hispanic Lifestyle Magazine, which recognized LaSalle Medical Associates as one of the top 15 Latino-owned businesses in the Inland Empire
“As pediatricians, we strive for 100 percent immunizations of pediatric patients and, while that’s probably a utopian objective, our goal is to get as close as to that 100 percent as we can,’’ says Dr. Albert Arteaga, president and founder of LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc. . “This CDC recognition is the fruit of two to three years of intense labor on part of me and staff.”
Despite all this success, it hasn’t always been an easy path for the Arteagas.
“Life doesn’t always play out as you expect,” Dr. Arteaga said. “That is certainly true in my life as a health care provider. Good intentions require good management. Providing good management has been every bit as challenging as my years in medical school were more than three decades ago!”
One of the biggest changes in health care took place just this year. In 2014, Covered California part of the federal Affordable Health Care Act – which Dr. Arteaga has long been a champion of – came into being.
“Although Covered California does not yet mean everyone has insurance, it does mean that many patients who couldn’t afford health care before now can do so,” Dr. Arteaga said. “Health care is no longer an out-of-reach luxury for those who couldn’t afford insurance, but is a basic right for everyone
Dr. Arteaga has always thought that health care is a basic right, and has operated LaSalle Medical Associates as if that were the case.
Dr. Arteaga targeted his marketing to Latinos and low-income people who were underserved. Providing high quality medical services to underserved populations were crucial to the success of LaSalle Medical Associates. LaSalle Medical Associates later expanded from Fontana to San Bernardino and Hesperia. These communities have many low-income people in need of quality affordable medical services.
He also is Latino, so he easily related to his Latino patients in ways they appreciated. They told friends and family about La Salle Medical Associates, which caused his popularity in the Inland Empire’s Latino culture to swell.
Dr. Arteaga has always believed that his key to business success was finding a way to get paid for their services, instead of telling patients they had to figure that out on their own before seeing him. For most of LaSalle’s history, that business model meant LaSalle employees educated patients about their health care insurance options.
Most patients LaSalle saw over the years qualified for either Medi-Cal or Healthy Families. The latter, which like Medi-Cal was run by the state of California, offered low to moderate-income parents who didn’t qualify for Medi-Cal a subsidy for the health care of their children from birth to age 19.
Things have changed in the last two years. In 2013, California got a head start on the Affordable Care Act; they created Covered California and merged Healthy Families and Medi-Cal together.
In 2014, one of the key Covered California’s requirements is everyone must have health insurance or pay a penalty. This means, many patients applied and signed up for Covered California, Medi-Cal or other insurance first, and then choose or are assigned to LaSalle Medical Associates.
Consequently, rather than informing new patients of their insurance options, LaSalle Medical Associates employees now more likely are helping the patients understand how their health insurance system works.
Dr. Arteaga acknowledges the Covered California has brought changes some people will take a while to get accustomed to. One of these is a concept called managed care.
“The structure of the Covered California means many people, both those who had some other type of insurance and those who were uninsured, are now in managed care for the first time,” he said.
Managed care is called this because it requires a doctor, such as one of the physicians in LaSalle Medical Associates, to coordinate patients’ health care services. These primary care doctors have a general, family or pediatric practice, and will treat patients for many of their symptoms, but will refer the patients to specialists when more expertise is needed.
Managed care has been around since the 1990s, Dr. Arteaga said, but it has become more popular. It’s usually more cost-efficient to have managed care, he explained, people choose to buy managed care for its lower premiums.
Medi-Cal has used managed care for nearly two decades. Meanwhile, LaSalle Medical Associates, since the beginning, has accepted Medi-Cal when many doctors would not, and now has a reputation among those familiar with Medi-Cal for providing quality services, no matter how payment is provided.
Even though there wasn’t “managed care,” as it now known when Dr. Arteaga started his practice, even back then he was in favor of patients developing close relationships with one family doctor.
“Thirty years ago I wanted to see all the patients, and manage their health care. That has not changed, but I have learned that in order to do so, a physician must take a leadership role. Otherwise, many patients will seek or demand services that are redundant or not needed. Our goal is to make people healthier.”
Maria and Dr. Albert Arteaga. The California Medical Association awarded Abert Arteaga the “Ethnic Physician’s Leadership Award,” recognizing his contributions to medical care in the Latino community.
Dr. Arteaga sees the physician as an advocate for the patient, one who will make sure patients get the services they truly need. Sometimes, just as some patients will push for more health care than is necessary, some insurance companies will resist paying for what a doctor recommends, but that is not the intent of managed care.
“I want the patient, the doctor and the insurance company to develop a positive team, Dr. Arteaga said. “There may be opposition, but that should not stop any of us in trying to make quality health care succeed.”
Besides managed care and its great expansion through the Affordable Care Act, another large change in the health care industry over the last three decades has been more careful monitoring of expenses by insurance companies.
Now, it is better for a medical group like LaSalle Medical Associates to band with even more doctors, so they can take advantage of economies of scale, and provide health care more cost-efficiently.
This is why LaSalle Medical Associates formed an Independent Practice Association (IPA) in 1995, and has grown it to the point it now serves more than 600 medical clinics serving more than 170,000 patients each year in nine California counties.
LaSalle oversees administrative functions of all these medical clinics, although they are owned and manage their patients’ health care separately.
Another move to make health care more efficient, in many ways, is one that LaSalle Medical Associates only recently transitioned to. It now is keeping track of patients’ charts with electronic records, ridding itself of the wall full of patients’ medical records that once were a hallmark of many medical clinics.
“Electronic records make it easier to share patients’ records among a team of doctors who treat one patient, which results in better health care” Dr. Arteaga said. “It is also easier to keep patients’ records confidential this way.”
One other significant change over the last 30 years has been that most patients are more involved in their health care now than they were in 1984.
“They ask more questions now. Because of the Internet, and because people talk more about health care with their friends, patients now have more information. Not all of the information out there is correct, so this means a doctor helps the patient sort the good from the bad, and develop a treatment plan that works. This is another reason why the managed care approach is necessary.”
One thing Dr. Arteaga has learned during his three decades of medical practice is that change can be good. In fact, one thing he loves about being the CEO of LaSalle Medical Associates is that he gets to lead other health care professionals through the changes their industry faces.
“I love being collegial, and helping other doctors learn,” he said. “When they resist change, it is going to be more difficult for them. They should not expect to practice medicine as it was done 30 years ago, or even 10 years ago.”
LaSalle’s clinics are located at 17577 Arrow Blvd. in Fontana phone (909) 823-4454, 16455 Main St. in Hesperia phone (760) 947-2161, and 1505 West 17th St. phone (760) 947-2161 and 565 N. Mt. Vernon Ave. phone (909) 884-9091 in San Bernardino.
For more information about LaSalle Medical Associates, call (909) 890-0407 or go on line to LaSalleMedical.com.
About LaSalle Medical Associates
LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc., operates four clinics employing more than 120 dedicated healthcare professionals, treating children, adults, and seniors in San Bernardino County. LaSalle’s patients are primarily served by Medi-Cal and they also accept IEHP, Molina, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Care 1st, and Health Net and Medicare by Easy Choice Health Plan, Molina and Care1st Health Plans.
LaSalle’s clinics are located at 17577 Arrow Blvd. in Fontana phone (909) 823-4454, 16455 Main St. in Hesperia phone (760) 947-2161, and 1505 West 17th St. phone (760) 947-2161 and 565 N. Mt. Vernon Ave. phone (909) 884-9091 in San Bernardino.
LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc., is also an Independent Practice Association (IPA) of independently contracted doctors, hospitals and clinics, delivering high quality patience care with more than 170,000 patient visits per year in Fresno, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin and Tulare Counties.
LaSalle’s IPA members in the Inland Empire include: LaSalle Medical Associates, Banning Medical Group and San Bernardino Urological Associates. Hospital affiliations include: Rancho Springs Medical Center, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Community Hospital of San Bernardino, St. Bernadine Medical Center, Mountains Community Hospital, Redland Community Hospital, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Corona Regional Medical Center, Riverside County Medical Center, Parkview Community Hospital, Kaiser Moreno Valley, Kaiser Fontana and Kaiser Riverside.
