Health
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
As the CFO, Watkins will be responsible for managing and administering the overall financial activities of Covered California, including its strategy for financial sustainability.
Watkins will be responsible for planning, implementing, managing and controlling all finance-related activities of Covered California. He will have direct responsibility for accounting, finance, forecasting, budgeting and related government compliance.
As a key member of the Executive Management team, Watkins will advise executive leadership on all financial matters for the organization.
Watkins had served as the deputy director of Financial Planning and Forecasting Operations within the Financial Management Division at Covered California since October, and prior to that was the chief of the Research and Analytic Studies division at the Department of Health Care Services for 12 years.
“Jim has shown deep understanding of health care, independent judgement and strong analytic skill in leadership roles, along with an ability to work in politically sensitive areas under significant pressure and timeframes,” Lee said. “He will be an asset to Covered California and build on the solid foundation we’ve developed.”
Watkins will be replacing the retiring Dora Mejia, who began her service with Covered California as deputy director of financial operations in 2013, just months before the agency began making health insurance policies available to consumers.
Under Mejia Covered California transitioned from an agency initially funded with, and reliant on, a federal grant to a self-sustaining and fiscally sound organization with revenues generated from fees charged to health care plans.
She managed a $340.2 million operating budget that supports marketing programs, our consumer service centers, sales, information technology and a host of other services that has helped make health insurance affordable and accessible.
Watkins is a Certified Public Accountant and received his Bachelor of Science degree from University of San Francisco and his Master of Public Policy and Administration from California State University, Sacramento.
He has 16 years of high-level experience managing both fiscal and health policy issues in state government.
He will earn $180,000 annually, effective Dec. 1, 2019.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Adventist Health Clear Lake has welcomed more than a dozen new providers in 2019, and the latest is board-certified internal medicine physician Catherine Atup-Leavitt.
Dr. Atup-Leavitt is a mission-minded physician who has dedicated herself to caring for the health care needs of her patients.
She has practiced adult internal medicine for more than 20 years and has a special interest in helping patients with complex health needs.
“I am driven by working with my patients to solve the puzzle of their health concerns,” Dr. Atup-Leavitt said. “I enjoy working with a collaborative team of physicians and specialists to ensure patients receive the highest-quality healthcare that is focused on their personal goals.”
A graduate of the Cebu Institute of Medicine in the Philippines, Dr. Atup-Leavitt went on to complete an internship and residency in internal medicine at Rush-Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park, Illinois. While there, she spent a year as chief resident.
“Dr. Atup-Leavitt is a welcome addition to our team and a great fit for the Lake County community,” says Brent Dupper, executive director of physician and outpatient services for Adventist Health Clear Lake. “She brings a personable and dedicated approach to healthcare and strives for the best possible patient outcomes.”
Dr. Atup-Leavitt and her husband relocated to Lake County from Idaho with their two sons. She chose to join the Adventist Health Clear Lake team to be closer to family.
Dr. Atup-Leavitt will see patients at the Adventist Health Clear Lake Medical Office located at 15230 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake.
Patients may schedule an appointment by calling 707-995-4500.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Fairbairn is the executive director of the Mendocino College Foundation and the driving force behind 100+ Women Strong Inland Mendocino County, an organization dedicated to magnifying the impact of local philanthropy by pooling funds to support worthy causes.
Fairbairn was invited to join the MCHC board in part because of her dedication to community-building, but also because of her interest and experience involving health insurance benefits.
Fairbairn has spent years advocating for people’s right to have health coverage, initially as an SEIU field representative and more recently by participating on the Mendocino College Employee Benefits committee.
“I like getting into the minutiae, figuring out what services people need, whether the formulary is being used versus the name brand, that sort of thing,” Fairbairn said.
Although Fairbairn has only attended a few MCHC board meetings, she said she is impressed by MCHC’s passionate, smart and thoughtful leaders and by the organization’s dedication to providing “the most needed healthcare to the neediest populations.”
She continued, “I like to be involved in systems that work well. So far, it seems to me that patients get good care in a streamlined fashion and that MCHC’s leadership is focused on finding and filling gaps in community healthcare while remaining fiscally solvent.”
Fairbairn explained how difficult it must be for the leadership to find a balance between keeping costs down while providing excellent care. She is working quickly to come up to speed on the laws governing healthcare reimbursement for federally qualified health centers like MCHC and says she looks forward to being an ambassador and an advocate for MCHC.
“I’m just learning, so I’m not an authority by any means, but I think it’s important for people to understand what a resource MCHC is for local people, and to help our elected officials understand how they can support health and wellness in rural communities,” she said.
She admitted that before she became a board member, she was unaware of all the services offered by MCHC.
“I liked reading the articles in the paper, but I didn’t realize what an incredible service MCHC provides,” she said. “Without MCHC, the hospital emergency room would be overrun. Patients would suffer more and get a lot sicker; they also wouldn’t get connected with other community resources like they do now. MCHC focuses on helping the whole person, not just improving someone’s medical condition.”
MCHC CEO Carole Press said, “We are very pleased Katie joined our board. She is such a dynamic addition. It’s also great to strengthen the partnership between Mendocino College and MCHC since we have so many of the same goals, like helping community members reach their potential, encouraging health and wellness, and supporting education.”
Fairbairn stated that Mendocino College Interim Superintendent and President Eileen Cichocki wholeheartedly supports Fairbairn’s participation on the board, echoing Press’s sentiments about the benefits of a closer partnership for both organizations.
Fairbairn is also excited to find more ways for the college and MCHC to work together. Currently, the Mendocino College Nursing program trains many of the nurses employed at MCHC, and many Mendocino College students benefit from the healthcare provided at MCHC. Fairbairn says she will continue to raise funds to expand Mendocino College’s allied health programs and noted that in 2020, the college will add a physical therapy assistant program.
Fairbairn also raises money for students in need through the Student Emergency Fund, some of whom get their healthcare at MCHC. “When people get the support they need, they can overcome really tough challenges. For example, in recent years a student who is a mother of two left an abusive relationship and we were able to use the Student Emergency Fund and partner with Project Sanctuary to keep her in school and moving forward towards her educational goal,” she said.
Fairbairn said it is stories like these that confirm she is doing the work she is meant to do. “I believe in giving back to my community and I believe that providing wrap-around services are essential.”
MCHC Health Centers is a local nonprofit organization providing access to comprehensive healthcare for people in Ukiah, Willits and Lakeport. All MCHC health centers accept Medi-Cal, Medicare, Covered California insurance and other insurance. Learn more at www.mchcinc.org .
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
UKIAH, Calif. – MCHC Health Centers is pleased to announce the addition of Jennifer Rickard to its board of directors.
Rickard is a community member with experience in both accounting and healthcare who believes everyone should have access to quality health care.
Rickard has been all over the world because her father served in the U.S. Air Force while she was growing up, and she has an insatiable love of travel. She says this gave her a deep appreciation for how fortunate we are in the United States.
“I’ve lived in and been to places where people were looking for their next meal, never mind staying up-to-date on their vaccinations. We take stuff for granted here, things like running water,” she said.
In part because of her upbringing, Rickard had been interested in medicine since her early childhood. During her undergraduate education, she considered going to medical school, but her knowledge of the healthcare industry soured her on the idea.
“I didn’t like how insurance companies dictated healthcare,” she explained.
So, she decided to go into accounting, a pragmatic choice in a field where “no insurance company would dictate how to do it,” she said.
She finished her undergraduate studies at CSU Sacramento, supporting herself by working for Caltrans in their accounts payable department, then as an auditor of long-term care facilities with the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.
Rickard completed a Master of Business Administration degree at Andrews University in Michigan before landing a position in a hospital finance department in Orlando, Florida.
After a few years, she missed traveling so she became a field auditor for Darden Restaurants, Inc., the company that owns Olive Garden, The Capital Grille, and six other restaurants. She loved traveling all over the U.S. and Canada doing operations audits. After seven years with Darden, she began thinking again about her future, and about medicine.
Her husband, a nurse at the Ukiah Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic, encouraged her to follow her passion for medicine.
“My husband knew I wanted to be a physician, and I didn’t want to look back on my life with any regrets, so I went back to school,” she said.
She has since finished medical school and plans to specialize in anesthesiology. She is currently studying for her board exams and will apply to a residency program after that.
In the meantime, family friend Jerry Chaney, the MCHC board chair, asked Rickard if she would be interested in serving on the MCHC board, noting that her knowledge of finance and medicine makes her a wonderful asset.
MCHC CEO Carole Press said, “We are lucky to have Jennifer on our board. She brings a unique and valuable perspective.”
“I just want to help in any way I can,” she said. “I love that at MCHC, anyone can walk in the door and they won’t be turned away because they can’t afford to pay.”
MCHC Health Centers is a local non-profit organization providing access to comprehensive healthcare for people in Ukiah, Willits and Lakeport. All MCHC health centers accept Medi-Cal, Medicare, Covered California insurance and other insurance. Learn more at www.mchcinc.org.
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