CARLSBAD — In a quest to provide more health care to residents of all ages, NCHS (North County Health Services) is converting its Pediatrics Services in Carlsbad to a comprehensive Family Medicine Health Center.
This relocation will also include a marked expansion for these services at its 1295 Carlsbad Village Drive address. The new health center, 2,700 square feet in size, will actually double its current space.
“This means we will be able to provide medical services to the entire family as well as adults and seniors from the community who need medical care,” said Irma Cota, president and CEO of NCHS. “Adults who have Medi-Cal and Medicare insurance have a difficult time finding physicians who are accepting new patients with these insurances. Our services will be open to these individuals.”
A recent financial boost, which helped make significant project headway, came from a sold-out annual NCHS annual golf tournament. The Crossings in Carlsbad served as the event venue and the festivity raised $102,000.
During the course of the event, Cota said, Ofelia Escobedo and Connie Trejo, longtime owners of Lola’s Market and Deli in Carlsbad, spoke to the crowd. Cota describes the sisters as being the community leaders who were instrumental in getting NCHS to open a medical office in Carlsbad.
Trejo was quick not to take credit, saying that Cota has done all the work. She went on to say that she and sister have supported Cota because NCHS is very much needed in the community.
“We have a lot of young families, adults and seniors that can use this service because we all get sick,” Trejo said. She added, “We are very happy that things are going as well as they are and we hope that everybody supports the efforts that have gone into bringing health care to the people in Carlsbad.”
Cota wants people to know that NCHS purchased a professional medical office condominium and has already begun the tenant improvements. It hopes to open its doors in December, or at the latest, January of 2013.
The combined cost of the condominium and improvements is expected to be approximately $1.5 million. White Construction was hired on to do the work.
Cota said the decision to expand from pediatrics to family medicine was made because families essentially wanted medical services under the same roof. Traveling to Oceanside, where NCHS has other family medicine locations, was difficult due to time constraints or challenges with transportation.
NCHS has medical and dental offices in the North County and north coastal regions.
Its new Carlsbad office will offer full-service healthcare for children, adolescents, adults and seniors.
“The mission of NCHS is to improve the health status of the diverse communities by providing quality health care that is comprehensive, affordable and culturally sensitive,” Cota said. “With health care reform many working poor and near poor adults will have an opportunity to have health insurance and we want to be their medical home in their community; the entire community benefits from keeping people healthy.”
