Blue Shield of California Foundation Announces 2013 Class of Clinic Leadership Insititue

Twenty-six emerging leaders to participate in the program’s fifth class

San Francisco, January 26, 2012 – Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF) has selected twenty-six community health clinic professionals from throughout California to participate in the 2013 class of the Clinic Leadership Institute (CLI). The individuals selected for CLI’s fifth cohort are committed to the clinic field and will grow their leadership skills and the performance of their host clinics through participation in the program. CLI was launched in 2007 to ensure that the next generation of community clinic leaders are effective and passionate change agents in a rapidly evolving health care environment.

“These committed, dynamic individuals joining Clinic Leadership Institute are essential to the long-term success of community health centers,” explained Brenda Solòrzano, BSCF Chief Program Director. “With the skills and experiences from CLI, these emerging leaders will be well-positioned to shape the future of California’s safety net.”

California’s 870 community health centers provide medical care to over 4.7million people annually, the majority of whom are living below the federal poverty level. Clinic Leadership Institute’s fifth cohort will join a network of more than 100 leaders working to identify solutions to systemic issues and advance the community clinic field.

Over the next 18 months, CLI participants will attend intensive sessions that will hone participants’ skills in the areas of financial management, strategy development, and healthcare policy. They will also have the opportunity to apply their new skills to special projects in their clinics. The program is administered by the Center for the Health Professions at the University of California, San Francisco, and was designed with input from community clinic representatives, as well as regional and national experts in the field of leadership development.

The Clinic Leadership Institute, a signature project of BSCF, is an outgrowth of the Foundation’s longstanding commitment to supporting California’s healthcare safety net. Since 2003, BSCF has invested over $52 million in over 200 health clinics and their associations throughout California.

Watch a brief video to hear what past participants say about their experiences with the Clinic Leadership Institute: http://www.blueshieldcafoundation.org/content/clinic-leadership-institute-experience-0.

BSCF’s Clinic Leadership Institute Class of 2013:

North Coast
Thomas Steenblock
Project Coordinator, Open Door Community Health Centers

Stephanie Wheeler
Human Resource Coordinator/Personnel Officer, Long Valley Health Center

Far North
Francine Novak
Director of Operations, Western Sierra Medical Clinic

Bay Area
Jinyoung Chun
Clinic Site Manager, Asian Health Services

Crystal Eubanks
CQI Program Manager - Clinical Services, LifeLong Medical Care

Aaron Lones
Director of Development, Planning & Evaluation, Ravenswood Family Health Center

Ezequiel "Zeke" Montejano
Clinic Administrator, St Anthony Medical Clinic

Elizabeth Sekera
Clinic Director, Lyon-Martin Health Services

Lucretia Sonderer
Family Nurse Practitioner, Community Health Clinic Ole

Juan Taizan
School Based Clinic Manager, Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center

Central Coast
Michelle Franco
Center Director, Planned Parenthood

Brenda Pettit
Accounting Manager/Fiscal Integrity Officer, Community Health Centers of the Central Coast, Inc.

Central Valley
Jay Kelley
Chief Information Officer, Family HealthCare Network

Ana Kormos
Director of Health Education and Outreach, Winters Healthcare Foundation

Mary Lou Lopez
Director of Patient Financial Services, United Health Centers of the San Joaquin Valley

Lisa Mosqueda
Regional Director, Central Valley Health Network

Gurjeet Sandhu
Controller, Golden Valley Health Centers

Los Angeles
Jose Acosta
Director of Health Information Technology, Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County

Ana Campos
Director of Clinic Operations, St. John's Well Child & Family Center

Elizabeth Gomez
Director of Supportive Services, The Catalyst Foundation

Julie Kirk
Director of Community Outreach and Education, Westside Family Health Center

Lelenia Navarro
HIV Prevention Coordinator, East Valley Community Health Center, Inc.

Southern California
Elizabeth Ahumada
Site Manager/Women's Health Programs Coordinator, Neighborhood Healthcare

Nancy Pealing
Chief Compliance/Quality Officer, Borrego Community Health Foundation

Irene Torres
Clinic Manager, Vista Community Clinic

Statewide
Andie Patterson
Assistant Director of Policy, California Primary Care Association

About Blue Shield of California Foundation
Blue Shield of California Foundation is one of the largest healthcare grantmaking organizations in California. For more information, visit: www.blueshieldcafoundation.org. The Foundation was formed by Blue Shield of California, a not-for-profit corporation with more than 3.4 million members, 4,700 employees and 20 offices throughout California. For more information about the company, please visit www.blueshieldca.com.

About the Center for the Health Professions at UCSF
Since 1992, the Center has been dedicated to transforming health care by delivering Leadership programs to empower change agents at every level and within all sectors of the health care system; and by producing nationally and internationally recognized, unbiased Research to help health care decision makers understand today's workforce issues and design actionable strategies to solve them. For more information about the Center, visit: http://futurehealth.ucsf.edu/