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The new facility is expected to be among the first, or perhaps the first,community clinics in the country to seek the Gold LEED certification throughthe United States Green Building Council. La Maestra registered this healthcare center project with the USGBC in 2004. LEED(R) is the acronym for theLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating system.LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, andoperation of high performance green buildings. The building will showcasestate-of-the-art energy efficient and environmentally responsible materials,fixtures and operations. Currently there are no Gold Certified health carefacilities in San Diego.
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Bond financing was made possible via the Anthem Blue Cross "Investment ina Healthy California Program" (IHCP). As part of the 2004 merger, Anthem BlueCross, Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health, and Golden West Dental & Visionmaintain a $200 million investment portfolio to provide investment capital tohealth care providers serving low-income urban and rural Californiacommunities.
Anthem Blue Cross collaborated with California's Department of ManagedHealth Care (DMHC), the California Department of Insurance (CDI) and the IHCPadvisory committee to ensure the program succeeded in meeting the objectivesoutlined by the merger agreement. The IHCP advisory committee is comprised ofleading health care professionals, and the program is one of the largest ofits kind in the country - specifically designed to address the health careneeds of underserved and low-income populations.
"Our 'Investment in a Healthy California Program' is another way we'reextending our mission of 'Improving the lives of the people we serve and thehealth of our communities,'" said Leslie A. Margolin, president of Anthem BlueCross. "La Maestra means 'the teacher' in Spanish. This teacher helps peoplelearn how to lead healthier and more productive lives every day which is agreat lesson. We're pleased to be La Maestra's partner in securing this bondoffering for their expansion in the community."
"We are very pleased this bond underwriting has been completed," said ZaraMarselian, CEO for La Maestra. "The favorable long-term financing will allowus to construct our new health care center while we continue our fundraisingefforts through our Heart of the Community Capital Campaign. We are halfwaytoward our campaign goal and will begin construction on our new facility nextmonth. It is a joy to share this good news with our staff and the communitywe serve.
"Our patient population is the uninsured," she added. "We provide careand services to more than 19 different ethnic groups - arguably the mostdiverse concentrated population in the county. We have seen double digitincreases each year for the past five years for the demands of our services.Our Board concluded that by consolidating our City Heights sites into onecentralized 'green' location we could improve care delivery, expand capacityto serve more patients and have a positive impact on the area environmentallyand economically as its largest employer."
About La Maestra
Since 1990, La Maestra has been providing quality health care andcommunity services to thousands of ethnically diverse clients in San Diego.La Maestra, the largest employer in City Heights, San Diego's most culturallydiverse neighborhood, sees more than 65,000 patient visits per year with astaff of 147 doctors, nurses, counselors and social workers who speak 19different languages and dialects. Clients of La Maestra can receive a fullrange of primary medical services for all ages. Additionally clients canreceive dental, behavioral health, vision and geriatric care. Social servicesincluding job placement, eligibility, outreach, transportation, translation,housing assistance and a food pantry are also available. La Maestra currentlyprovides services through an assortment of 14 converted residential buildingson a single city block in City Heights. La Maestra also has clinics inNational City and El Cajon. For more information, please visitwww.lamaestra.org .
About Anthem Blue Cross:
Anthem Blue Cross is the trade name of Blue Cross of California. AnthemBlue Cross and Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company areindependent licensees of the Blue Cross Association. (R) ANTHEM is aregistered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross namesand symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross Association.Media Contact: Ben Singer 818-234-0749 [email protected] Katie Shultz 619-749-3442 [email protected]
SOURCE Anthem Blue Cross; La Maestra
