Dr. Miriam Vega, Chief Executive Office and the healthcare Team at the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center (JPA) have been designated as Schneps Media 2021 Healthcare Heroes for the second year in a row.
In conjunction with amNewYork Metro, Dan’s Papers and the Long Island Press, Schneps Media will be celebrating the contributions and dedication of the healthcare community from New York to Montauk. Spotlighting excellence and applauding innovation, Schneps Events is honoring Healthcare Heroes who deliver and support quality care.
Under the direction of Dr. Miriam Vega, the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center (JPA) has established itself as a healthcare leader assisting the communities it serves through some of the most difficult days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though in-person visits were understandably down, the JPA Team quickly introduced a robust televisit program and testing program. Both of these programs helped guide its patients through some of the darkest days of the pandemic while enabling them to still receive the healthcare they needed.
As quickly as the vaccines became available, Dr. Vega and the JPA Team realigned themselves to make sure that vaccinations were made accessible. JPA Team members continue to reach out “on the streets” to communicate one-on-one with community residents, answer questions, allay fears and encourage them to get vaccinated. Because the Far Rockaway area is home to a large pocket of vaccine-hesitant, JPA has opened its two Rockaway sites on Saturdays and Sundays as dedicated vaccination sites open to anyone who wants the shot.
“We have all had an extremely challenging year dealing with Covid-19, but thanks to our entire JPA team, we made sure that the communities we serve continued to receive the health care they deserve,” said Dr. Vega. “Without all of us acting as a Team, we would not have been able to accomplish our mission. Our entire team is very appreciative of this recognition.”
Dr. Miriam Vega has devoted her professional career to bringing quality and comprehensive healthcare services to those who need it the most. JPA has fully reopened and is currently moving forward with the planned expansion of space and services to incorporate a Wellness Care Center which will include community space for support groups to address some of the most critical health conditions, i.e., diabetes, hypertension, asthma, obesity and mental health.
The in-person awards were presented at Terrace on the Park in Queens on Wednesday, June 16. A Virtual Event will be broadcast on June 30, 2021.
Miriam Vega, PhD is an experienced executive of non-profit organizations, including Federally Qualified Health Centers and AIDS service organizations, Dr. Vega created the CHANGE model of capacity-building assistance which helps to build culturally responsive programming, quality improvement and organizational infrastructure at community-based organizations across the Nation.
Before coming to Addabbo, Dr. Vega served as CEO and Executive Vice President of FQHCs and CBOs in large underserved urban communities Further, as Chief Operations Officer at Kedren Community Health Center in Los Angeles, CA, she helped integrate mental health and primary care services. She is currently a HOPE fellow and chair of American Public Health Association’s Committee on Health Equity.
