Executive Director Named for
New Center on Health Disparities
Adventist HealthCare announces the appointment of Marcos Pesquera as Executive Director of its new AdventistHealthCare Center on Health Disparities. The center’s mission is to remove barriers for those who do not have access to health care.
Mr. Pesquera, 46, recently served as senior director of Diversity Programs for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States in Rockville.
In September 2005, the Adventist HealthCare Board of Trustees approved a Vision for Expanded Access for Washington Adventist Hospital. It established a Blue Ribbon Panel of community leaders to develop a locally-driven approach addressing and eliminating health disparities in all communities served. The panel recommended the formation of the Adventist HealthCare Center on Health Disparities with three areas of focus: increased services for underserved populations; a research program to identify and promote best practices; and an education initiative to improve the ability of caregivers to provide quality care to those populations.
"The Center on Health Disparities is an important extension of Adventist HealthCare's mission to demonstrate God’s care by improving the health of people and communities through a ministry of physical, mental and spiritual healing,” said William G. "Bill" Robertson, Adventist HealthCare president and chief executive officer. "Marcos is just the person
we need to take the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Panel and make them a reality."
Mr. Pesquera has already started work on five of the panel's recommendations:
- Annual community health disparities report cards
- Maternal Services Center
- Diversity awareness training for physicians and staff
- Patient advocacy programs/Linguistic Access
- Infrastructure for health disparities research
"Through training and education of all health-care providers and support staff, we address the issues that knowingly or
unknowingly affect the way we perceive and treat each other,” Mr. Pesquera said.
Mr. Pesquera, R. Ph., MPH has a masters of public health from Loma Linda University, a bachelors of science in Pharmacy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and completed his pre-pharmacy curriculum at the University of Puerto Rico. He lives in North Potomac with his wife and two children.
For more information about Washington Adventist Hospital's Vision for Expanded Access visit www.ExpandedHealthAccess.com.