Congressman Mark Takano and other officials celebrated the facility launch with two ribbon-cutting ceremonies and check presentation last Friday

Riverside, CA –  Riverside Community Health Foundation (RCHF) and Neighborhood Healthcare celebrated two ribbon-cutting ceremonies at the Eastside Health Center Building A and Eastside Health Center Building B.

RCHF, whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of the community, partnered with Neighborhood Healthcare late last year to assume operations of both clinics without service interruption.

Both facilities, located at 1970 and 1971 University Ave, will accept Medi-Cal and Medicare along with other insurance while providing primary care, behavioral health, pediatrics, women’s health, prenatal, and dental care with expanded specialty services such as acupuncture and chiropractic care. The RCHF and Neighborhood Healthcare relationship expands both organizations’ capabilities to offer individuals and families in the area quality, compassionate care regardless of situation or circumstance at these and other facilities.

“We are excited to celebrate our partnership with Neighborhood Healthcare,” said Dan Anderson, D. Min, President/CEO of Riverside Community Health Foundation. “The organization has a proven track record of quality care, and we are excited to continue to work with them to foster healthier and happier communities through compassionate and quality care.”

U.S. Congressman Mark Takano participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremonies, which included a check presentation on behalf of the Congressional Appropriations Committee for the Community Project Funding awarded to RCHF for the renovations of Eastside Health Center Building A and Arlanza Family Health Center. California Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes and Riverside Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes also joined the activities.

"I'm thrilled to have secured $2 million in federal Community Project Funding for Riverside Community Health Foundation," said Congressman Mark Takano. "RCHF provides vital health services for some of the most vulnerable populations in my district, and I look forward to the impact that these renovations will have on access to care in our community."

“We offer more than just medical care,” said Rakesh Patel, MD, CEO of Neighborhood Healthcare. “Together with RCHF, our programs and resources can help individuals and families with everything from obtaining insurance coverage to planning a family.”

Individuals desiring to schedule a Neighborhood Healthcare appointment may do so online at www.nhcare.org/schedule or call 833-867-4642.

Media Contact:

Anna Holbrook | (951) 788-3471 | anna@rchf.org

House of Appropriations Committee approves a $2 Million in Community Project Funding for RCHF’s Eastside A and Arlanza Family Health Center Revitalization Project for 41st District

Riverside, CA – Riverside Community Health Foundation (RCHF)’s clinics, Arlanza Family Health Center (AFHC) located at 8856 Arlington Ave, Riverside, CA 92503 and Eastside Health Center Building A (EHC-A) located at 1970 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92507 will receive $2,000,000 in funding through Community Project Funding for 41^st District.

Funds will be used for building improvements and upgrades of the EHC-A building, which was built in 2000, and AFHC, which was built in 2006.  In addition, funds will be used to acquire new medical equipment, technology, and furniture to provide high-quality health care to vulnerable populations in these medically underserved areas.

“I’m excited to yet again bring home critical federal funding for Riverside through the Community Project Funding process, delivering transformational assistance to our community,” said Rep. Mark Takano. “Each of these 15 projects came directly from the community and will improve quality of life for my constituents. I voted to support these critical projects in the omnibus appropriations bill.”

“We are deeply grateful for such a tremendous opportunity to better serve our community members in the Arlanza and Eastside,” shared Dan Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for RCHF. “As we move forward with this project, we are excited to work with our new clinic partners, Neighborhood Healthcare, in reframing what true quality healthcare can look like when we invest in not only the right equipment but also the right people.”

The EHC-A and AFHC are two of three community clinics owned by RCHF, all of which are located in District CA-41 and also include the Eastside Health Center B (established in 2017). At the core of community health centers and the work of RCHF, is health equity. RCHF health centers provide a direct line into the communities they serve, identifying and prioritizing the needs of the community. More than 11,000 are medically treated and more than 4,200 are dentally treated annually at the clinic EHC-A.

The EHC-A and AFHC serve all residents including historically underserved communities, those without health insurance, and those with limited to no ability to pay, with the opportunity to access health, no matter where they live or their individual circumstances.

The clinics are operated by RCHF partner Neighborhood Healthcare. Neighborhood offers a wide range of medical and dental services including primary care, pediatrics, prenatal, women’s health, behavior health (counseling and psychiatry), and dental.

For more information about the clinics, please visit https://rchf.org/clinics/.

Media Contact:

Anna Holbrook | (951) 788-3471 | anna@rchf.org

Riverside, CA – Riverside Community Health Foundation (RCHF) whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of its community is pleased to announce the appointment of seven new board members to the RCHF Board of Directors.

“We are so pleased to welcome Rafaela King, Kelly Marshall, Dr. Michelle Thomas, and Dr. Takashi Wada to our 2023 board of directors, and are honored to welcome Karl Leonard Hicks and Dr. Richard Rajaratnam back to the board,” stated Dr. Dan Anderson, President/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of RCHF. “We are confident that our new and returning together board members will instill the passion, expertise, and leadership that they bring to their respective fields to guide our organization in our continued commitment to the health and well-being of our community.”

Karl Leonard Hicks is a founding member of The Leonard Financial Group, LLC, with over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. In 2004, Mr. Hicks was awarded his Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) practitioner designation. Mr. Hicks serves and has served on many community boards, counsels, and city committees; and he has been recognized numerous times for his work in the community. Mr. Hicks received his bachelor’s degree from California Baptist College and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from California Baptist University.

Rafaela King is the Finance Director for the City of Monterey. She is a Certified Public Accountant with more than 20 years of experience, specializing in local government municipalities. She is an alumna of San Diego State University, where she received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration - Accounting.  Rafaela is also an alumna of University of California Riverside where she received her Executive Masters in Business Administration and she is a member of the San Bernardino-Riverside Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., where she commits her time for community service both on the local and national level.

Kelly Marshall is an Account Executive at HUB International. Kelly has grown with HUB and has had several roles, such as an Account Analyst, Account Manager and Wellness Coordinator in the Employee Benefits Department for the last 13 years. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the University of California, Riverside and is a Riverside native who enjoys supporting the local community. In Kelly's free time she enjoys exercising, traveling and spending time with friends and family.

Dr. Rajaratnam is the Emeritus Chief Integration Officer at the Office of Clinical Transformations for Loma Linda University Health. Previously, the Area Medical Director at Kaiser Permanente for Riverside County, Dr. Rajaratnam is experienced in member growth and member marketing in various lines of health insurance products and deployment of health information technology. Dr. Rajaratnam is a member of the California Medical Association and the American College of Surgeons and has been awarded Voh's Award Winner for Breast Cancer Screening (Highest in the Nation) and the Most Valuable Physician SCPMG I at Kaiser Permanente Riverside.

Dr. Michelle Thomas is currently a Family Medicine resident at Riverside Community Hospital. She is an Inland Empire native, raised in Riverside, California. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of California, Riverside, and her medical degree and Master of Public Health at UCLA. Dr. Thomas participated in a joint program with UCLA and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science during her medical education, whereby she had the opportunity to train in medically underserved communities in Los Angeles. She is interested in chronic disease prevention and Public Health.

Dr. Takashi Wada has served as the Chief Medical Officer for Inland Empire Health Plan since August 2021 and is responsible for overseeing the clinical functions of IEHP and working to ensure IEHP Members experience optimal health. Previously, he was the Vice President of Population Health for IEHP and held positions as Chief Medical Officer for CenCal Health as well as the Director and Health Officer of Santa Barbara County Health Services. Dr. Wada is a Board-Certified Family Medicine physician and received his MD and MPH at UCLA and his bachelor’s degree from UC Riverside.