Gustavo Valdespino, President of Valley Presbyterian Hospital honored with
prestigious Vision & Excellence in Health Care Leadership award,
and
Martha Santana-Chin, Medicare and Medi-Cal President at Health Net
honored with distinguished Champion for Health award.
Los Angeles, CA — On Wednesday, June 12, 2024, President of Valley Presbyterian Hospital Gustavo Valdespino was honored by the Partners in Care Foundation at its 24th Annual Tribute Dinner with the prestigious “Vision & Excellence in Healthcare Leadership” award. This award is annually presented to a leader in California’s health care community who has made a significant impact on some aspects of care. Valdespino was the 24th recipient of this annual award.
This recognition took place during a dinner celebration held at the Skirball Cultural Center before an audience of over 500 health care executives from throughout the state.
Also honored was Martha Santana-Chin, Medicare and Medi-Cal President at Health Net. She received Partners’ “Champion for Health” Award for her commitment to expanding equity, access, and inclusion to health care.
Partners’ CEO and President June Simmons said, “Both our honorees have demonstrated the imagination, the insight, the vision, and values that make them such outstanding leaders.”
In his remarks, Valdespino thanks Partners for the award and opportunity to highlight the wonderful story of Valley Presbyterian Hospital. “I think it’s a unique story about a freestanding, independent hospital serving a poor community and doing it well,” he said.
Introducing Valdespino prior to his arrival onstage was close friend and colleague Paul Viviano, President and CEO of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and 21st recipient of Partners’ Vision and Excellence in Health Care Leadership award.
Valdespino is a gifted leader with over 40 years of hospital management experience and was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Valley Presbyterian Hospital in September 2009. Prior to joining Valley Presbyterian Hospital, he served as Senior Vice President of Operations for Tenet Health Corporation’s Southern California region. He also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Vincent Medical Center and as CEO of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Orange County.
Of the accomplishments during his 14 years at Valley Presbyterian Hospital, Valdespino takes pride in his organization’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. With his leadership, Valley Presbyterian upheld its mission of meeting the healthcare needs of the underserved in the San Fernando Valley, as well as keeping their employees physically and financially safe during that time.
Santana-Chin reflects, “It is an incredible honor to receive this award alongside Gus and to be the first all-Latino recipients recognized by the Partners in Care Foundation.”
As a Latina leader, the eldest of nine and daughter of immigrants, Santana-Chin prides herself with understanding first-hand the struggles that low-income communities face. Santana-Chin’s personal journey has fueled a passion for advancing equity and mentoring others to persevere and thrive in their life and careers.
Introducing Santana-Chin and her accomplishments as an exemplary health care leader, was Castulo De La Rocha, President and CEO of AltaMed.
Santana-Chin is a managed care plan leader with nearly three decades of experience in managed care, operations, delivery system strategy, provider relations, network management, value-based care programs and overall business unit accountability. She has designed and led transformational programs to improve access to care for California’s most vulnerable residents, advance health equity and scale value-based care models. Her extensive healthcare leadership experience includes working with independent physician practices, risk bearing provider organizations, hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers and health plans, serving Medi-Cal and low-income communities.
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The Partners in Care Foundation mission is to address the social determinants of health by aligning social care and health care. Partners promotes the best possible health and quality of life for those most in need through enhanced self-care, social support, and access to key resources. Partners is accredited in Case Management, Long Term Services and Supports (CM-LTSS) by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and was the second community-based organization in the country to achieve this status. Partners is a nationally recognized leader in developing innovative community and home-based approaches in health promotion, chronic disease management, and addressing health disparities. Partners has an extensive history in creating, testing, adapting, and disseminating evidence-based models of care. Founded in 1997, Partners has an annual budget of more than $21 million with a staff of more than 250 employees throughout California. We provide non-medical home and community-based services, self-management education, medication safety screening, and outreach and care coordination for 20,000 individuals annually. For more information about the agency, visit www.picf.org.
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