Imperial Beach Community Clinic has served the South Bay communities of San Diego since the 1970s, making it one of the region's longest-standing federally qualified health centers. For nearly five decades, the organization has provided accessible primary care, dental services, and comprehensive health resources to families in Imperial Beach and Nestor, maintaining its commitment to serving the underserved even as healthcare landscapes shifted around it. The organization operates two clinic locations, employs approximately 100 staff members, and delivers care to thousands of patients annually who often struggle to access healthcare through traditional systems.
The organization currently operates in a period of intentional transformation under new executive leadership. Dr. Albert Pacheco joined as Chief Executive Officer bringing over 20 years of senior executive experience in FQHC settings serving frontier, migrant, homeless, and other underserved populations. His background includes both healthcare administration and direct clinical work as a psychologist, giving him unique insight into both operational demands and patient care realities. This leadership renewal extends across the executive team, with new appointments in the Chief Medical Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer roles within the past two years. This comprehensive leadership change reflects the organization's commitment to strengthening operations, improving communication, and ensuring long-term sustainability while maintaining its core mission of accessible care.
The organization's vision states: "All residents in San Diego's South Bay will have access to high quality primary care and health education." This ambitious goal drives the mission: "Imperial Beach Community Clinic will promote a healthy community by providing quality health care and resources, with a focus on the underserved." These statements reflect more than marketing language. They describe the daily reality of caring for patients who face significant barriers to healthcare access, including limited English proficiency, financial constraints, transportation challenges, and complex medical needs.
The clinic fulfills this mission through several core commitments: improving access to primary healthcare for South Bay residents, employing skilled professionals dedicated to quality care and addressing current health needs, serving the community with compassion and respect while maintaining confidentiality, collaborating with other healthcare providers and organizations, and providing a medical home to at-risk populations. This patient-centered approach earned the organization NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home recognition, validating its commitment to coordinated, accessible care that addresses the whole person rather than isolated medical problems.
The organization provides comprehensive services including medical care, dental services, mental health counseling and psychiatry, nutrition counseling, and substance abuse treatment. This integrated service model allows patients to access multiple healthcare needs at a single location rather than navigating separate systems across the region. The medical team conducts thousands of patient visits annually, with data showing over 31,000 physician visits and more than 66,000 total covered visits when including all provider types. This volume reflects the significant demand for accessible primary care in the South Bay communities.
The dental program operates from the Imperial Beach location with two dentists and one hygienist providing general dentistry services. A mobile dental unit extends access beyond the clinic walls through community outreach programming. Behavioral health integration includes both psychiatry and therapy services, with warm handoff capabilities that allow primary care providers to connect patients immediately to mental health support during their visits. The medication-assisted treatment program addresses substance use disorders, and registered dietitian services support patients managing chronic conditions requiring dietary modification.
The Imperial Beach Health Center at 949 Palm Avenue represents the organization's flagship location, currently undergoing a $2.5 million renovation that will expand capacity and modernize clinical spaces. When complete, the renovation will provide 16 fully equipped exam rooms with updated technology including a badge-based access system that eliminates the need for providers to carry laptops between rooms. The dental clinic occupies the lower level with modern equipment and dedicated operatories. Construction completion will allow the clinic to accommodate additional providers and increase patient access to primary care services.
The Nestor Community Health Center at 1016 Outer Road serves patients in the neighboring Nestor community with 12 exam rooms and similar comprehensive services. Both locations feature on-site specialty services including cardiology, podiatry, and chiropractic care, reducing the need for patients to travel across San Diego for specialist appointments. Optometry and limited ophthalmology services will launch in April 2025, adding vision care to the integrated service offerings. The organization owns the Imperial Beach building and rents the Nestor location, maintaining operational control over both sites.
Dr. Albert Pacheco serves as Chief Executive Officer, bringing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Pennsylvania State University and over two decades of FQHC executive experience. His career spans both clinical practice as a behavioral health provider and senior executive roles in organizations serving frontier, migrant, homeless, and underserved populations. This dual background in clinical care and healthcare administration gives him unique perspective on both patient needs and operational realities.
Dr. Veronica Palomino serves as Chief Medical Officer, board-certified in both Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine with an MPH in Epidemiology from San Diego State University. She completed her medical training at UT Southwestern Medical Center and dual residencies in Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine, followed by fellowship training in Underserved Medicine at UC San Diego. Her career includes roles as medical school faculty, residency faculty, health center director, and public health researcher, making her well-suited to lead clinical operations while advancing quality improvement initiatives.
Zachary Lambert serves as Chief Financial Officer after joining the organization almost two years ago. He earned his accounting degree from the University of Southern California and spent his early career as an auditor specializing in FQHCs before transitioning into operational finance roles. His progression from Financial Analyst to Manager to Director to CFO demonstrates both his expertise in FQHC financial management and his commitment to the organization's success. Jason Harris serves as Chief Compliance Officer, bringing an MBA, healthcare administration background, and Six Sigma Black Belt certification to ensure regulatory compliance and quality improvement. Dr. Clarissa Damasco serves as Dental Director, overseeing the dental program.
The organization operates according to core principles that shape both patient care and internal operations. Service principles emphasize ethical methods in all job duties, patient-directed care derived from individual strengths, needs, preferences, and cultural backgrounds, employment of highest-quality medical providers, and respect for patient rights and cultural diversity. These principles translate into daily practice through cultural competency, language services for patients with limited English proficiency, and care plans that honor patient preferences and values.
Organizational principles include integrity in all service and business relationships, open and honest internal and external communication, respect and support for employees through effective training and advancement opportunities, data-driven decision making using patient feedback and outcomes, and responsiveness to community needs and expectations. These values reflect the organization's commitment to transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement. The current leadership transition demonstrates these principles in action, with honest acknowledgment of recent challenges paired with concrete steps to strengthen operations and support staff.
The organization maintains hospital admitting privileges at Scripps Mercy Hospital in Chula Vista, ensuring continuity of care for patients requiring hospitalization or specialized services. Family medicine physicians who provide obstetric care deliver babies at Scripps, maintaining prenatal care relationships through delivery and postpartum care. This hospital partnership prevents the fragmented care common when FQHC patients must navigate unfamiliar hospital systems without their primary providers.
Membership in Health Center Partners of Southern California connects the organization to a network of FQHCs sharing resources, best practices, and support services. This affiliation provides access to collaborative work groups in behavioral health, program development, finance, billing, and clinical operations where staff can learn from colleagues at other health centers. Participation in the San Diego Health Connect Health Information Exchange allows secure sharing of patient health information across organizational boundaries, improving care coordination when patients see specialists or receive emergency care at other facilities.
Local community partnerships extend the organization's reach beyond clinical walls. Collaboration with the Imperial Beach Chamber of Commerce, San Diego Police Department, County Sheriff's Department, Imperial Beach Library, local schools, churches, and social service centers keeps the community informed about available services while connecting patients to additional resources. These partnerships reflect the organization's understanding that health extends beyond medical care to include housing stability, food security, education, and community support.
The organization earned NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home recognition, demonstrating commitment to coordinated, comprehensive primary care that emphasizes prevention, patient engagement, and care quality. This designation requires meeting rigorous standards for access, care management, patient communication, and quality improvement. NCQA recognition provides external validation that the clinic's care model meets national standards for patient-centered primary care.
Federal Tort Claims Act coverage provides malpractice protection backed by the federal government, demonstrating the organization's status as a federally qualified health center serving designated underserved populations. This federal backing offers both liability protection for providers and assurance to patients that the organization meets federal standards for community health centers. The combination of NCQA recognition and FTCA participation validates the organization's standing as a legitimate, quality-focused community health center.
You will join an organization at a pivotal moment in its history. Nearly five decades of community service provide a stable foundation, while new leadership brings fresh energy and commitment to operational excellence. The challenges facing the organization are real, including recent turnover and the need to rebuild clinical capacity. These challenges also create opportunity for physicians who want to help shape practice culture and contribute to organizational renewal rather than simply fitting into established systems. Your work will directly impact whether vulnerable populations in South Bay San Diego can access the comprehensive primary care they need to manage complex health conditions and build healthier lives.
