Families Together of Orange County Community Health Center Increases Capacity Amidst Covid Surges and Obstacles in 2021

PARA PUBLICACIÓN INMEDIATA

Families Together of Orange County Community Health Center Increases Capacity Amidst Covid Surges and Obstacles in 2021

TUSTIN, Calif., January 12, 2022 – Families Together of Orange County (FTOC), a nonprofit community health center in Southern California, has finished off 2021 with a staggering 130,000 visits, almost double the amount of visits it had in 2020.

Despite the difficulties that the pandemic continued to bring for healthcare workers in 2021, Families Together pulled through it all and became one of the top 10 vaccine administrators in the County. The organization even managed to add 6 new services for patients, including the Virtual Clinic, which expanded access for thousands of Medi-Cal and underinsured patients in the region. While resources were scarce at times, the nonprofit made sure that everyone in the community continued to receive access to essential healthcare services.

Alexander Rossel, CEO of Families Together of Orange County comments:

“When the pandemic first hit in 2020, we decided to remain open, and we kept that mentality throughout the entire pandemic. With a few adjustments, we were able to keep seeing patients and even managed to increase access for patients through our new Virtual Clinic, which helped minimize risks for patients that felt unsafe to come into a medical center. We made a commitment to the community, and that’s why we’ll always be here with our doors wide open.”

The biggest feat for Families Together might be its Covid operations, which put the community health center consistently among the top 10 vaccine administrators in Orange County. While Families Together is not the biggest community health center in the region, it was one of the few community health centers within the top 25 Providers of OC Residents and the only community health center in the top 10 according to data from the OC Health Care Agency. 

With more than 50,000 shots in arms and thousands of Covid tests, the nonprofit adjusted quickly to be able to accommodate the influx of community members looking to get vaccinated when vaccines became readily available to the public, even when there was no guarantee that the organization would be compensated for this service. Families Together converted one of its parking lots into a Covid operations center, where it saw up to 1000 individuals a day at its peak. 

Leticia Castillo, Medical Lead at Families Together of Orange County’s Tustin location says:

“It’s been so rough throughout the pandemic. I got Covid twice already, but I keep coming back to work because I know that we really are making a difference in the community. I’m proud of what we do and despite the obstacles, the mission of Families Together inspires me and my team to keep going.”

In 2021, Families Together of Orange County pulled together and more than doubled its capacity while keeping pace as one of the fastest growing community health centers in Orange County. In 2022, the organization plans to keep expanding access and increase services with the addition of a multi-specialty group, an HIV Clinic and more. 

Families Together of Orange County provides medical, dental, vision, wellness and mental health services and works to help bridge the gap in access to healthcare throughout Southern California.

Acerca de Families Together of Orange County Community Health Center

Desde 2003, Families Together of Orange County Community Health Center (FTOC) ha servido con orgullo a la comunidad del Condado de Orange con una gran variedad de servicios de salud al mismo tiempo que brinda un hogar médico acogedor, multilingüe y centrado en el paciente para todos. FTOC es una organización sin fines de lucro 501 (c) 3, similar a FQHC, miembro de la Coalición de Centros de Salud Comunitarios del Condado de Orange y la Asociación de Atención Primaria de California.

Por favor visite www.familiestogetheroc.org para obtener más información sobre Families Together of Orange County y las últimas actualizaciones.

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For interview requests and further information, please contact Cassie Rossel.