LifeLong Medical Care

I wanted to take a moment to wish you all some well-deserved rest and relaxation. As healthcare professionals, we pour so much of ourselves into caring for our communities. This weekend, I hope you'll take some time to care for yourselves too. Whether that means quality time with family, catching up on sleep, or simply enjoying the sunshine - do whatever recharges your batteries. To our LifeLong Medical Care staff who will be working through the holiday weekend to provide care for our community when needed - your dedication does not go unnoticed.  We are incredibly grateful for your service. To all, please stay safe and healthy out there. Come back refreshed and ready to continue our important work of providing equitable, compassionate care to all who need it. 

I’m thrilled to welcome Leigh Felton, our new Chief of Staff, to the LifeLong Medical Care team 🌟 As Chief of Staff, Leigh will guide strategic planning and operations of the executive office, ensuring our top initiatives align with LifeLong’s goals. She’ll oversee Board operations, manage executive engagements, and partner closely with our Senior Leadership Team to strengthen communication and coordination. Leigh will also represent the CEO when needed, working closely with me to advance LifeLong’s mission. Leigh’s journey to this role is nothing short of remarkable. During her fifteen years at Microsoft Corporation, she served as Chief of Staff for several business units and led ethical AI and technology equity programs, ensuring representation of underserved communities. Leigh has also served as VP and Chief of Staff to the CEO at Mozilla and worked in the public sector as Director of the Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness for Washington State. There, she oversaw critical programs in economic development, marketing, communications, and infrastructure, representing the state to key partners and legislators. Leigh’s transition from tech to healthcare brings a fresh perspective to LifeLong. She believes tech-driven innovation can significantly improve healthcare delivery and patient outcomes, which aligns perfectly with our commitment to enhancing lives through innovative health solutions. With an MBA in Business Communications, Leigh is dedicated to the belief that learning extends beyond formal education. As the host of the podcast “So, You’re Thinking About Being a Chief of Staff” and the author of “Unlocking Your Inner Chief of Staff,” Leigh is widely recognized as a leader in maximizing organizational impact. Leigh’s addition to our Senior Leadership Team marks a significant step forward in our journey. I am confident that her unique experiences, commitment to authentic leadership, and seasoned approach to organizational management will drive innovative, compassionate, and effective healthcare services to our communities. 🚀 Welcome to the team, Leigh! #HealthcareInnovation #TechInHealthcare #HeathEquity #CommunityHealth

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) conference in Atlanta 🏙️ It was truly inspiring to connect with fellow community healthcare leaders and engage in insightful conversations about the future of our field. 📈 The impact of our work is growing: community health centers now serve a record 32.5 million patients - that's 1 in 10 people nationwide! Perhaps the healthcare sector's most ambitious goal discussed is to increase our reach from serving 1 in 10 to 1 in 3 Americans in the coming years. The introduction of the Health Workforce Investment Act is a game-changer in achieving that goal, providing federal funding to scale our successful community-led workforce development partnerships. This bipartisan legislation will significantly boost our efforts to recruit and retain skilled primary care teams, ultimately improving patient care 🩺. This expansion would dramatically increase access to comprehensive, culturally competent care for millions more people, particularly in rural, urban, and tribal communities. NACHC CEO Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP said it best, “[Health] centers are lasting. When [you] consider [their] impact on the importance of health in our families, in our communities, and the people we serve, we represent the center of hope, dreams, and opportunities." He continued, “We are the most resilient… [and] the most diverse part of the health system. Don't undervalue that diversity, whether it's racial, ethnic, geographic.” The conference reinforced my belief in the power of community health centers to drive positive change. I left Atlanta feeling energized and optimistic. The passion and dedication of my colleagues gives me great hope for the future of community health. Together, we're creating a more equitable and accessible healthcare system for all 🌟 #CommunityHealth #HealthcareLeadership #HealthEquity #AccessibleCare #WorkforceDevelopment Liz Perez-Howe Julia Liou J. Brandon Thornock, FACHE Gagan Pawar, MD, MBA Julie Sinai

Today marks my last day interning with Health Career Connection at LifeLong Medical Care. As I take a step back and look at all of the work I've done, I can confidently say that, thanks to this opportunity, I have grown immensely. I remember when I first started my internship two months ago, I kept thinking that I wasn't fit for the role, that I wasn't good enough. However, thanks to the amazing support from HCC, throughout my time at LifeLong, that negative talk turned into confidence. Thanks to the HCC team, and Gisselle Marroquin, the other intern working at LifeLong alongside me, I was able to complete this internship with a positive outlook. I will always be grateful for the opportunity I was given this summer, and I will continue to use the skills I've developed throughout my personal and professional career. Thank you, HCC, for this invaluable opportunity, and for showing people like me that experiences like the ones created this summer can be made possible.

🏥🤝 FQHCs: The Unsung Heroes in the Battle Against Health Inequity This recent Richmondside article underscores the vital role Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) play in combating health inequities in underserved communities. I'm incredibly proud of our dedicated providers, like Dr. Emily Hunter-Adamson and our former staffer Niyi Omotoso, who go above and beyond to care for patients facing disproportionate health risks due to environmental factors like air pollution 🌍💨 Their tireless work treating respiratory illnesses and advocating for cleaner air in Richmond is a testament to the compassion and commitment of our staff. This article highlights a harsh reality: 🚨 while we can treat symptoms, we can't prescribe better living conditions. But we can work to improve the environments where our patients live. FQHCs like LifeLong Medical Care bridge the gap between healthcare and community well-being. Our involvement in initiatives like the Path to Clean Air and engagement with local government showcases our commitment to addressing the root causes of health disparities. As healthcare leaders, we have a responsibility to partner with policymakers, community organizations, and residents to find sustainable solutions to these environmental health challenges. LifeLong’s commitment goes beyond treating illnesses; we’re dedicated to creating healthier communities. By uniting our voices and expertise, we can advocate for policies that promote cleaner air, safer neighborhoods, and better health outcomes for all 🌟 🔊 I call on fellow healthcare leaders to join us in this crucial work. Let’s push for environmental justice, support our dedicated staff, and work tirelessly to create a healthier, more equitable future for the communities we serve. 🔗 Learn more in the article linked below. #HealthEquity #CommunityHealth #FQHCs #EnvironmentalJustice #PublicHealth

🌟 Celebrating AmeriCorps at LifeLong: A Legacy of Impact Last Friday marked a milestone as we celebrated the graduation 🎓 of LifeLong Medical Care's AmeriCorps Health Fellows. Their dedication to public health has been nothing short of inspirational. State Senator Nancy Skinner's presence at the event highlighted the crucial role of government partnerships in advancing health equity through legislation and funding. Our nine healthcare heroes - Takhmina Abdul, Yayra Abledu, Rebecca Bantum, Kelsey Daniels, Megan Goetz, Skai Denise Mendoza, Karina Montes De Oca, Helen Rosales, and Carlos Zurita-Delgado - are all remarkable individuals who have been at the forefront of delivering vital health education and support. I am thrilled that several of them will be transitioning to permanent roles 🌱 at LifeLong, allowing us to retain their valuable skills and fresh perspectives! A heartfelt thank you to the staff at LifeLong who make the program possible including our very own Sylvia Hacaj was a crucial part of drafting key legislation that led to the creation of the AmeriCorps program in 1993, and Lucinda Bazile, who is known as the program’s “mother” at LifeLong, and has driven our engagement efforts, positively impacting our services. 🤝 To everyone at LifeLong who has supported our fellows – THANK YOU! Together, let's continue to champion this spirit of service and advance community health. #HealthcareHeroes #AmeriCorpsHealthFellows #PublicHealth #HealthEquity #CommunityImpact

Critical Vaccine Gap Looms for the Uninsured and Underinsured Reflecting on my first week as CEO of LifeLong Medical Care, a critical issue highlighted in the The New York Times today has captured my attention. The ending of the CDC’s Bridge Access Program poses significant challenges for uninsured and underinsured communities—a reality my team at LifeLong Medical Care confronts daily. It is especially troubling that this is happening in August during National Immunization Awareness Month, a time when we emphasize the importance of vaccines for people of all ages. As we face the challenges brought by the end of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Bridge Access Program, the importance of sustainable healthcare solutions has never been more evident. The article highlights the pressing concerns faced by health centers like LifeLong nationwide as they scramble to ensure continued access to COVID-19 vaccines for the most vulnerable populations. Our very own Dr. Michael Stacey, LifeLong Medical Care’s Chief Medical Officer, expressed our shared concern in the article, stressing the financial hurdles we face: “We don’t have a good alternative at this point, except to try to find some money to figure out how to buy some vaccines ourselves. When a program like this is dropped, we don’t have a lot of money to do this work." His words, as reported by Dani Blum and Katie Mogg, resonate with the broader challenges that our staff has brought to my attention this week. Ensuring that no one - the uninsured, underinsured, or those with poor access to care - is left behind in our healthcare system is more crucial than ever. As we navigate these changes, my resolve to advocate for sustainable healthcare solutions and equitable access intensifies. I am thankful for the insights from our dedicated team and for their unwavering commitment to our community. Together, we are dedicated to overcoming these challenges. #HealthcareForAll #CommunityHealth #COVID19 #LifeLongMedicalCare #HealthEquity