Expanding care to underserved communities through partnerships 

Providence St. Mary Medical Center is making strides to address health disparities in the High Desert region through strategic partnerships. 
 
In collaboration with the St. Jude Neighborhood Health Center, a federally qualified health center, the partnership aims to expand care to underserved populations. This includes those who are underinsured and uninsured, to obtain comprehensive and culturally responsive health care services.  
 
The partnership began in 2019 when St. Mary Medical Center provided a grant to the St. Jude center to ensure the clinic’s sustainability and viability over time. These joint efforts extend across three clinic locations in the High Desert region in Apple Valley, Adelanto and Hesperia. The clinics offer a wide range of services including primary care, chronic disease management, preventive screenings, nutrition assistance, mental health services, patient and family education.  
Additionally, the partnership extends to local schools including Hesperia High School, to provide mobile health services and increase access to care for community members. The mobile health van offers a range of services similar to those at the clinics, such as physical examinations, cancer screenings, vaccinations and other medical care, with plans to expand its service scope in the future. 

"Through these partnerships, we are able to directly help those who are facing health disparities and inequities," stated Valentine Otuechere, M.D., a family medicine physician at the St. Jude Neighborhood Health Center High Desert clinics. "We can connect them to necessary medical treatments, food and housing resources and other essential services to help close health equity gaps." 

In 2024, nearly 900 individuals received care through these efforts.