Monoclonal Archives - Golden Valley Health Centers

David Carr: COO for Merced Rescue Mission

Dave began as a new board member of Golden Valley Health Centers in September 2022. David also serves as a Board Member for Jail Ministries, and is a Rotary Club Member. David holds two associate degrees in sociology and psychology. David is a Certified Alcohol and Drug counselor II with the state of California. David currently works as the Chief Operations Officer for the Merced Rescue Mission and has a heart for helping the homeless of Merced County. David is married to his wonderful wife, Jennifer, and together they have three boys.

Maria Vargas-Perez Consumer Member, Merced County

Maria Vargas-Perez serves as Board member in the capacity of consumer representative. Maria has served on the Board since 2012. Mrs. Vargas-Perez graduated in Mexico as a bookkeeper. Maria is currently furthering her education. She enjoys volunteering at the Healthy South Merced Project and has been Catechist at Sacred Heart Church for about 13 years. Maria occasionally will assist in the community clean-up and other projects. She has maintained a solid, healthy family that have become good citizens to the society. Maria enjoys to ride her bike with family and friends. She resides in Merced, as a house wife, with her husband Jose, her son Jesus and daughter Edith. Maria currently serves on the Quality Improvement Committee and Planning & Facilities Committee.

Robert Anderson, Ed.D. Public Member, Merced County

Robert “Bobby” Anderson began his tenure on the GVHC Board of Directors in March 2016. Bobby serves as public representative. He retired in 2019 as the Dean of Instruction at Merced College who oversees the Allied Health, Business, and Public Safety areas on campus. Dr. Anderson came to California from Chicago as a basketball recruit for California State University, Fresno where he received his BA, MA, and Preliminary Administrative Services Credential. He worked in the private sector architectural field for several years and coached basketball at Fresno State before becoming an instructor and administrator within the Clovis Unified School district for 17 years. Dr. Anderson earned his Doctoral Degree in Organizational Leadership and Management from the University of La Verne along with a lifetime Professional Clear Administrative Services Credential. Before he retired his job was to administer the Allied Health programs, Bobby oversees the implementation of grant awards, endowments, and donations to support programs such as Registered Nursing, License Vocational Nursing, Certified Nurse’s Assistant, Radiologic Technology and Sonography. Additionally, Dr. Anderson supervised a variety of Merced College Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. These courses are established in partnership with local schools in an effort to provide college credit for high school students and facilitate their seamless transition to Merced College after graduation. Bobby is married to his lovely wife Ruth who is a High School Psychology and AVID instructor, and looks forward to bringing Merced College and GVHC’s partnership closer together in order to provide for the larger needs of the community, especially those in underserved neighborhoods. Bobby currently serves on the Personnel Committee.

Tamara Cobb, Consumer Member, Merced County

Tamara Cobb began as a new board member of Golden Valley Health Centers in October 2018. She serves as Board member in the capacity of consumer representative. Tamara earned a degree from Merced College in Administration of Justice. While completing her studies she sought and initiated the position as the first investigator for the Merced County Public Defender’s Office. She studied at Stanislaus State and City University in Washington. While employed as a booking officer she instituted a fingerprint verification release system. She served in the position of sergeant for King County Department of Rehabilitative Services. Over a thirty year span in law enforcement, she held positions within the Merced County District Attorney office, Washington State Employment Security, named to the position of Director of the Evergreen Collective through the Urban League of Washington.

Her interests include closing the achievement gap in public schools. She was publicly elected to the position of South Merced representative for the Building Healthy Communities-10 year project. She serves on several boards that promotes education, health, social justice and economic equity.

Currently she holds positions as United Domestic Worker Union Representative, Education Director and Executive Board Member for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She serves as an executive board member for the Merced Black Parallel School Board, the Merced County Office of Education Committee of African American Student Success, the African American Health initiative with Healthy House Coalition, and she is a Merced County Beachwood/Franklin board member. She serves as a document preparer with Love Faith and Hope non-profit. She has held various positions within the non-profit group South Merced Community Council. She is the Chairperson for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr annual celebration in Merced. She is MCOE certified to teach to teachers and the community on the issue of caring for the black child.

Veronica Pacheco, Board Member, Stanislaus County

Veronica Pacheco began as a new board member of Golden Valley Health Centers in October 2018. She serves as a Board Member in the capacity of representative. Veronica grew up on the Westside in the small town of Newman. She has over 15 years of case management experience in social services. She has had the opportunity to work with the homeless population and behavioral health while working at Salvation Army in Ventura, CA. In addition, she has also worked with at risk youth at Casa Pacifica in Camarillo, CA. She is presently working for Center For Human Services. She is happy to have returned to the Central Valley, and she resides in Newman with her husband Raymond. During her free time she enjoys camping, hiking, traveling, and spending time with her family. Lastly, she is proud of the opportunity given to serve as a board member and to give back to her community on the Westside.

Tim Adam, Board Member, Merced County

Tim Adam began as a new board member of Golden Valley Health Centers in September 2018. He serves as Board member in the capacity of representative. Tim grew up in Merced where he graduated from Merced High School in 1997. He moved to Sacramento where he went to school to get a degree in Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management. After working for a couple fine dining places he moved back to Merced to open a restaurant, but fell on hard times. After being homeless for about 2 years he ended up at the Merced County Rescue Mission, after graduation he was hired on at the Mission. He is now currently the Chief Operations Officer for the Merced County Rescue Mission. He has finished school through CCAPP to be a Certified Alcohol and Drug Clinician, and is working on his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. He lives in Merced with his wife Jennifer, who is the Service Coordinator for the Hope for Women program at the Mission, and their 12-year old daughter Genevieve. He also serves on the Boards for Dignity Health Hospital, and for the Merced City and County Continuum of Care. Tim currently serves on the Finance and Executive Committee.

George Conklin, Board Member, Merced County

George Conklin began as a new board member of Golden Valley Health Centers in March 2018. George serves as Board member in the capacity of representative. He is retired Physician Assistant after serving GVHC for 16 years. Born and raised in New Jersey he began his medical career serving in the United States Coast Guard as a Hospital Corpsman, retiring after 20 years as a Chief, Hospital Corpsman (E-7). Besides being Vietnam Veteran, his other military tours included search and rescue (boat, ship and helicopter), Federal Law Enforcement, Aids to Navigation. Following the Coast Guard, George attended the University of Southern California, School of Medicine, Physician Assistant studies. He then worked for the United States Bureau of Prisons at the federal penitentiary Lompoc, California as a physician assistant and a member of the Special Operations Response Team (SORT). Following this he turned his physician assistant career toward working with the underserved community of the Central California Valley. While working for GVHC, George was the sole provider for the Dos Palos clinic, sat as representative for the nurse practitioners and physician assistants on the clinical leadership team and was assigned as the interim Chief Medical Officer (CMO) during the transition of the CMO’s on the Executive Team. During this time, he also involved himself in his small, agricultural community by serving as a city councilman, mayor, as well as being a volunteer firefighter on an all-volunteer fire department. George is widowed and continues to live in Firebaugh, CA. He maintains his community responsibility as a volunteer firefighter (also assigned as department safety officer) and a member of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7380 (VFW). George currently serves on the Quality Improvement Committee, Planning & Facilities Committee, Finance and Executive Committee.

Tom Martinez Consumer Member, Planada- Merced County

Tom Martinez serves as Board member in the capacity of consumer representative. He has been a Board member since March of 2015. Tom is the son of longtime GVHC Board member and Founder Flora Martinez who passed away in 2014. Tom was born and raised in Planada and studied business at Merced College. He retired in 2001 after operating his two businesses in Merced for 42 years: Tom’s Detail and Tom’s Mobile Car Wash where he employed more than 20 people. Tom has been a Deacon for his Church, Emmanuel Baptist in Livingston, for more than 10 years and volunteers his time for several local hospitals by providing on-call spiritual support to patients that request his services. Tom is proud to continue his mother’s legacy at the helm of GVHC and believes that the patients are “the main thing.” Tom currently serves on the Quality Improvement Committee and Planning & Facilities Committee.

Maria Rosales, Secretary Consumer Member, Turlock- Stanislaus County

Maria Rosales serves as Board member in the capacity of consumer representative. She served on our Board in 2015. She left to pursue a career with Livingston Community Health. Since then has left and is now employed by UC Merced. She holds a BA in Social Science and MA in Academic Counseling from California State University at Stanislaus. After High School, Maria took a substitute position at a local Head Start where she observed staff members that worked as liaisons between the families and the educational facility as well as the community. She was inspired to take a position at the Central Valley Opportunity Center as their Facilitator for transitional youth and displaced workers, but she realized her dream when she was hired by the Patterson School District as their Family Resource Center Director. At the Westley and Grayson center, she oversaw the literacy program for adults learning English. At the Patterson Resource Center she ran a program for Latinas that transitioned them from the literacy curriculum to GED programs and enrollment into Modesto Junior College. Maria resides in Modesto and enjoys spending time with friends and family. She also enjoys live music. Maria currently serves on the Personnel Committee.

Ernesto Gomez, Treasurer Public Member, Merced County

Ernesto Gomez is the Treasurer of the Board and serves as public representative. He is a Branch Manager and Senior Mortgage Consultant for Gold Star Mortgage Financial Group in Merced. As a lifelong resident of the Merced community, Mr. Gomez feels a strong bond to the area and its people as he spent summers as a teen alongside his grandmother in the fields picking grapes, tomatoes, peaches and peppers. After graduating from Merced High School, Mr. Gomez attended California State University, Stanislaus where he earned a degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Corrections. He interned and worked as a bilingual Probation Officer for Merced County for a few years before becoming a Gang/Drug/Crisis Intervention Counselor in the Merced Union High School District and the Atwater Elementary School District. During his time in the schools, he was able to steer local youth onto more positive academic and social paths. In 2006, Ernesto decided to change careers and secured his real estate license. He became a loan officer and eventually a manager for two branches. He acknowledges his biggest professional asset is his staff saying, “Without them, I am nothing”. Ernesto is married to his wife Rosemarie and they have five children and one granddaughter. He is involved in several community organizations including the Children’s Miracle Network, the Merced Cancer Society, and is also currently the Treasurer/Board Member of Tier One Tranquility Base, a non-profit geared toward mitigating Veteran Suicide. A patient as a boy, Ernesto has been back at GVHC as a Board member since February 2016 and is excited to give back to the organization. “Golden Valley’s services are critical to our community, so it is important that we continue to grow in order to meet people’s health care needs.” Ernesto currently serves on the Finance and Executive Committee.

John Price, Vice Chair Consumer Member, Merced County

Mr. Price is the Board Vice Chair in the capacity of consumer representative. John has served on the Board since 1986. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics. He is also a graduate of the California Agricultural Education Foundation Fellowship Program; Certified Remodeler (CR) Certified Universal Design Professional (UDCP), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP). He owns Artisan Construction and Design, a complete design/build firm, serving Commercial and Residential Clients. Mr. Price is also a member of the Golden Valley Health Centers Foundation Board of Directors, is a Past President of the Merced Rotary Club, and sits on the Merced Chamber of Commerce Board. John is also an Elder at Central Presbyterian Church. He is proud of contributing to the growth of the GVHC Corporation over the last 35 years. John enjoys gardening, photography, camping and skiing. He resides in Merced with his wife Ellen. He has three sons: Derek, his wife Sarah and their three little ones, Jack, Kate and Grace; Byron, his wife Stephanie and their children Kaden, Riley, Kaleigh and Ryder; and the youngest son, Andrew. John currently serves on all the board committees, and is often a speaker at National Conferences.

Aaron Castleton, Esq., Chairperson Public Member, Merced County

Mr. Castleton is the Board Chairperson of the Board and as public representative. Aaron has served on the Board since 2014. He holds a Master’s degree from Pepperdine and his Law degree from the University of La Verne. He is an attorney and mediator who owns Castleton Law Firm in Merced which specializes in a variety of civil matters and conducts transactions for several local businesses. He is also involved in the youth program at his church, the Local Council of Boy Scouts of America, and has been an assistant basketball coach at Golden Valley High School for several years. Aaron is thrilled to add his areas of expertise to the already thriving leadership at GVHC. Aaron enjoys golfing and skiing. He resides in Merced with his wife Melissa and their three children Preston, Braden and Addison. Mr. Castleton currently serves on the Personnel and Executive Committee.

Dr. Villarama

Dr. Villarama’s medical journey began in the Philippines where he was inspired by both his grandmother, a traditional midwife, and his mother, who had hopes he would one day become a physician. As a child he developed a strong interest in medicine accompanying his grandmother on medical visits by the age of ten. While she delivered babies and attended to the sick, Dr. Villarama was by her side. He began his career at GVHC in July 2007 as a family physician in Merced, practicing full scope family medicine including hospital inpatient care. Five years later he was named Associate Medical Director. He then served as the Merced area Hospitalist Medical Director from 2013 to 2015, later transitioning into the role of Regional Medical Director. In May, 2022, he was appointed as the Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of GVHC. In addition to his work at GVHC he has served as a chief of staff for Dignity Health Merced Mercy Hospital, a delegate to the California Medical Association and President of the local Medical society. Dr. Villarama is also a founding board member of the Kids Discovery Children Museum of Merced.

His passion for healthcare and serving patients remains as strong as his commitment to GVHC’s mission of providing high-quality care through clinical services to all members of our community regardless of any barriers they may be experiencing. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family and pet dog “ Hershey” and loves outdoor activities like hiking, road cycling and mountain biking.

Meet Your Provider

Jason West

Mr. West grew up on the Central Coast surfing and found his way to the Central Valley where he chose to pursue a BS in Chemistry with a minor in Biology. He worked as wine chemist for a number of notable wineries in both the Central Valley and Central Coast eventually taking classes in a PhD Chemistry program through the UC system. West has published several papers on organic synthesis and statistical thermodynamics. He has also held several teaching appointments in the Cal State and Junior College systems in the Central Valley. An interest in health was piqued by studying statistical methods to evaluate the effectiveness of healthcare models, which led to a Masters in Public Health and his involvement in a pilot project to address the needs of homeless citizens following discharge from local hospitals. The subsequent success of this program over several years and his contributions to Golden Valley Health Centers as a Board member made him the ideal candidate to launch the Central Valley PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) program.

Amy Carroll

Ms. Carroll is deeply invested in the community and has enjoyed an extensive career history centered on service, through public sector communications and nonprofit leadership. She graduated from CSU Stanislaus earning a BA in Organizational Communication while working as a contributing writer in the Public Affairs and Alumni Department at the University and interning at a television news station. Over her 20 years in Public Relations and Communications, she has focused her efforts on community-building and collective impact through nonprofit leadership in marketing and fund development as well as public sector communications.

She is a Modesto Rotarian, a member of CAPIO (California Association of Public Information Officials), a participant in the James Irvine New Leadership Network and a mentor for the Latino Leadership Initiative. She is a recent recipient of the Modesto Bee’s 20 Under 40 Award and the Stanislaus County Equal Rights Commission, Dale Butler Award. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Stanislaus Family Justice Center and the Modesto Symphony Orchestra. Amy loves running and traveling with her family.

Gurjeet Sandhu

Ms. Sandhu has been an accounting and finance professional for about 19 years. During her tenure at GVHC, Ms. Sandhu is responsible for overseeing payroll, purchasing, accounts payable, accounting, financial analysis and billing. She has successfully updated payroll and accounting systems. In addition, she has updated various process within the finance and billing department including implementing electronic document management system. Ms. Sandhu has a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration with concentration in Accounting and minor in Computer Information Systems. She has also completed University of California San Francisco and Blue Shield Clinic Leadership Institute for Emerging Leaders program.

Wunna Mine

Mr. Mine is the VP & Chief Information & Strategy Officer for Golden Valley Health Centers where he oversee information technology for the organization. He has worked with community health centers for over 20 years. Prior to joining Golden Valley Health Centers, he served as CIO of Gardner Family Health Network in Santa Clara County. Mr. Mine has also worked as CIO for Camarena Health Centers in Madera County and was Director of Information Technology at United Health Centers in Fresno County. Additionally, he has served as Project Manager for IBM Global Services division supporting IT operations of Fortune 100 corporations. Mr. Mine has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Kansas State University and a Master in Business Administration degree from California State University Fresno. Mr. Mine’s professional and community service includes serving on San Joaquin Community Health Information Exchange board, Manifest MedEx advisory board and CalHIVE (Health-Impact-Value-Engagement) Network advisory board.

Tracy Blair

Ms. Blair has been a healthcare attorney for over twenty-one years. Prior to joining Golden Valley Health Centers as its Vice-President and General Counsel, Ms. Blair started her legal career in private practice as a litigator. Ms. Blair’s litigation experience includes professional liability (medical malpractice), employment law, and business litigation, successfully trying several cases to final verdict. After becoming partner, Ms. Blair left her law practice and joined Valley Children’s Hospital as their Corporate Compliance Officer. After six years in compliance, Ms. Blair took on an in-house position, as the Deputy General Counsel and gaining additional experience in healthcare transactions, privacy, security, corporate governance, insurance, risk management, consent law, mergers and acquisitions, and real estate transactions. Although born in Ohio, Ms. Blair calls the Central Valley her home. Ms. Blair is a graduate of Fresno State University, summa cum laude, and was the valedictorian in her class at San Joaquin College of Law. Ms. Blair serves on several non-profits, including La Feliz Guild, Central Valley Regional Center, and annually participates in the Step Up for Down Syndrome event in Clovis, California. Ms. Blair enjoys spending time with her husband and two young, active sons. She is also an exercise fanatic, enjoying all things fitness, but especially running.

Jennifer Henson

Ms. Henson is a Human Resources professional with more than 20 years of HR management experience working with health care organizations. She has proven to be an effective leader and communicator, committed to consistently delivering results through the development and implementation of sound Human Resources practices. During her tenure with GVHC, Ms. Henson has successfully updated multiple HR processes, enhanced benefit and compensation programs, expanded HR communication, and successfully negotiated multiple collective bargaining agreements. Prior to joining GVHC in October 2015, Ms. Henson served as Regional Human Resources Director for Vibra Healthcare – a nationwide specialty hospital system, where she oversaw Human Resources functions for more than 2400 employees working in nine hospitals and a regional business office in the West Coast Division. Ms. Henson has a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources Management and obtained her Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership, with honors, from Fresno Pacific University. She has been certified as a Professional in Human Resources since 2001. Ms. Henson also serves on the Board of Hinds Hospice which serves the Central Valley. Ms. Henson’s experience managing the Human Resources needs of health care entities makes her an invaluable asset to the organization. Ms. Henson is married and in her free time likes to spend time camping and riding motorcycles with her husband, or listing to 80s music with her sons.

Tony Weber

Mr. Weber has served as Chief Executive Office for Golden Valley Health Centers (GVHC) since 2014, bringing close to 40 years of leadership experience in the healthcare field. As CEO, Tony leads the organization’s strategic planning efforts and oversees the operations of the organization. GVHC has an operating budget of $163 million, employs over 1,000 staff in 45 clinics across three counties, with over 550,000 patient visits annually. Prior to joining GVHC, Tony served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for San Ysidro Health Center, where he was responsible for all financial operations for the expanding organization. Tony earned his Master of Business Administration in Finance from Golden Gate University, and his Bachelor’s in Finance from Brigham Young University. His professional and community service includes having served as Chair of a number of local, state, and national Chief Financial Officer Committees, as a member of Rotary International, and as a board member of the Chamber of Commerce.

Dauna Goza: Banker

I am a Business Banking Officer for Westamerica Bank, I currently oversee both Merced branches as well as Atwater and Mariposa. In the 41 years I’ve been in banking many things have changed but service is still the foundation in which everything should be built upon, it is this devotion to service which brings me back to Westamerica Bank. I believe that banking can be done professionally with a personal touch, which I enjoy.

I am currently Co-Chair of Golden Valley Health Center Foundation; it has been my pleasure to be part of this organization since 2016. I continue to be amazed at the vision of Golden Valley Health Center and the support it provides our local communities and the contribution made by its employees and staff. I look forward to being a part of its accomplishments in the coming years.

Patty Beach: Retired Physical Education Teacher & Athletic Director

Health and Physical fitness has always been an important part of my life and I strive to be an example of healthy lifestyle choices. During the pandemic with the gyms closed, my husband and I started walking on a regular basis. We are proud parents of three wonderful adult children all living active lifestyles. GVHC prioritizes the health and wellbeing of the patients and providers it cares for. I admire and support their philosophy of caring for individuals regardless of race, religion, gender or financial means.

Dr. John Abordo: Physician

I am a US Army veteran and podiatrist. I have been with GVHC for almost 14 years. My motto is to “Save the Foot” and as a specialist in treating diabetic foot infections, I have made it my mission to educate patients, their families and the community about the perils of diabetes and the risks for foot amputation. I am also actively involved in the community as a physician champion for the Tri-District Medical Academy program in Merced County and as a guest lecturer at Merced College.

My wife and I have three adult children and 2 wonderful grandsons who keep us pretty busy all the time.

Duke Leffler: Realtor

Duke has an impressive background with over 40 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. Duke is the only commercial agent to hold the SIOR designation in Stanislaus County and is one of only 3,500 professionals holding this title throughout 26 countries in the world. He lives in Modesto and has three children and five grandchildren.

David Kamins: IT Business

David is dedicated to his community. He states, “I want to leave it better than I found it”. He is very active in service groups, chambers of commerce, and multiple nonprofit organizations that align with this very mission. David became a Golden Valley Health Centers Foundation board member due to the wonderful treatment he and his daughter and first child received. David was struggling with the recession, as many at the time were, and Golden Valley was there for them.

Professionally, David works for Mid Valley IT, the central valley’s fastest growing IT company

Shannon Egleston

Shannon is an enthusiastic and accomplished team leader with over 30 years of event planning and management, fundraising and community relations experience.

Shannon is a believer in giving back to the community and has been involved with and worked for non-profit organizations over the years. She loves seeing an event go from paper to production and to help create the environment to touch every person in the room and help them understand the mission – not just for that night, but long after.

Monoclonal

Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Update 03-23-2021