In this very enjoyable episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in studio by Veronica Dela Rosa, the Executive Vice President of Operations for San Ysidro Health, an essential healthcare backbone serving San Diego since 1969. Now serving San Diego from the border to the south, Campo to the east and Oceanside to the north, San Ysidro's over 2000 employees deliver top tier healthcare from 27 different locations.

As Executive Vice President of Operations for San Ysidro Health, Veronica leads the organization with key oversight of Clinic Operations, Information Technology, Population Health and Performance Excellence, Compliance, Human Resources, and Diversity and Inclusion initiatives.

Veronica has a special place in her heart for San Ysidro Health. In the summer of 1984 and while still in high school, she entered the organization as a volunteer. Thereafter, she was hired as a receptionist, and for the next 11 years her continual growth and development ensued as she prepared to become a healthcare leader and executive. After 20 years as an executive at Kaiser Permanente, Veronica returned to San Ysidro and now, as one of the top leaders, she is a catalyst for understanding, relating to and serving communities by building trust on a daily basis. From babies and teens to families and seniors, San Ysidro has adopted a holistic approach to improving wellness, with the social determinants of outcomes never out of mind.

A very important episode. Here are some other amazing takeaways from the interview with Veronica Dela Rosa.

- How San Ysidro Health is adopting telehealth on a broader basis
- Innovative ideas such as group appointments for mental health services to better address supply / demand imbalances which exist
- How their internal medicine residency program has been important to their ability to serve
- The importance of health education, including their community-infused cookbooks
- The answers to the Rapid Fire questions!

Thank you, Veronica De La Rosa, for your passion for healthcare access, equity, recognition of the gaps which exist, and for joining us on The Gap Minders.

Enjoy this episode and be sure to subscribe to the show.

If you have any questions or want to contact Nancy or Jose, please send an email to podcast@uwsd.org. Thank you for listening.

To learn more about the two social impact organizations making The Gap Minders possible, please visit www.TheGapMinders.org.