Dear Neighbors,
The past year provided many opportunities for change, innovation, and growth for Neighborhood Healthcare. We did so by implementing ways to continue offering compassionate care to all, regardless of circumstance. We did not retreat from that mission amidst a global pandemic. Our more than 700 dedicated team members leaned in at a time when our communities needed us most. I could not be prouder of them.
While our focus on providing access to care remained paramount, we did so in manners that did not compromise our patients’ and staff’s safety. Soon after the COVID-19 outbreak, we launched video telehealth and phone services. We transitioned thousands of patients to virtual visits, while continuing to provide critical medical, dental, and mental health care. Our innovative providers and staff overcame digital challenges to offer quality care to our patients by video, phone, and in-person. In the process, we significantly reduced the number of missed appointments, improved patient satisfaction, and enhanced staff fulfillment.
Not stopping there, Neighborhood Healthcare’s innovative healthcare professionals brought critical care to our high-risk patients confined to their homes through Mobile Health Teams in San Diego and Riverside counties. These skilled practitioners went to 2,083 patient’s homes over the course of 5 months to administer tests, labs, and COVID tests. We also expanded a myriad of other services, from pediatrics to senior care. Many of these changes will likely continue when the pandemic subsides, as our patients’ demand for these new offerings grows.
This year also saw us open a new site in Temecula dedicated to the teaching of future physicians. In partnership with United Health Services (UHS), we now offer a Family Residency Program where our physicians will teach medical care, but more importantly, medical care that is culturally sensitive and community based. Additionally, we broke ground in Riverside for our new site that features two facilities focusing on providing health care for the elderly. We will continue expanding the service area to include this underserved community in support of
our mission.
We stand stronger and more accessible to those in our communities needing quality, compassionate, and comprehensive care as we enter 2021. Our generous and steadfast donors, sponsors, and community partners served as our catalyst in all of our achievements this year.
Time and again, individuals, families, our staff, and philanthropic organizations demonstrated their generosity in 2020 through financial support and donations of food and supplies to support Neighborhood Healthcare. These donations allowed us to provide for our community’s most vulnerable. We feel the outpouring of support in each donation, message, item of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and smile. Our donors and community partners play the most important role in helping us care for our critically ill patients who, without donations and collaborations, could not access our services. We promise you that our drive to innovate, grow, and adapt to the changing healthcare needs of our communities will only continue in 2021!
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping us be better together.
Gratefully yours,
Rakesh Patel, MD, MBA, FAFP, CPE
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer
For additional details on Neighborhood’s updates and growth, view the 2020 Annual Report