The Honoree – Publisher’s Award Kim Wyard Northeast Valley Health Corp. There are 500,000 reasons why Kim Wyard, CEO of Northeast Valley Healh Corp. goes to work each day. With approximately half a million uninsured Valley residents, this year’s recipient of the Business Journal’s Publisher’s Award has made it her life’s work to provide a health care “safety net” for the indigent. Wyard has been at the helm of this non-profit, federally funded, community health center as its CEO since 1996. She began her tenure with NEVHC 30 years ago as a student intern in its public relations department. She has held a variety of positions through the years, including director of an adolescent health program, clinic administrator and deputy director. “As a nation, we have 44 million uninsured. One of the reasons for our success is the huge demand. 500,000 people in the Valley are uninsured and there’s a huge demand from people who are low income. They run into problems accessing healthcare,” Wyard said. “We’re culturally and linguistically competent. We speak Spanish and patients recognize that we have a quality health care product, our physicians are board certified, and our organization is focused not just on access but an increase in quality.” Wyard has helped spur the growth of the organization, which started at a lone site it 1973. It now encompasses 10 licensed community clinics serving approximately 170,000 infants, children and adults a year. This growth has come in spite of a litany of budget cutbacks that have partially restrained the organization’s ability to grow. “The biggest obstacle I’ve faced is a lack of funding. ‘Safety net’ health clinics rely on funding streams from the state and local government. We’re one of the first things cut when deficits are incurred,” Wyard said. As the CEO, the Cal State Northridge graduate is forced to juggle a myriad of tasks. Wyard’s responsibilities include overseeing and coordinating the efforts of senior management staff of all divisions of the corporation. The NEVHC operates on a budget of $36 million annually. Additionally, Wyard oversees the implementation of federal, state, and local grants and contracts, including public-private partnership agreements with the city of Los Angeles. Despite the onerous burdens of her position, Wyard finds time to serve on the board of directors for the Los Angeles Regional Family Planning Council and the board of directors for the Cal State Northridge Journalism Association. Wyard is also the treasurer for the Northeast Valley Health Foundation. “We’re looking forward to continued growth, opening more health centers, and using technology to be more efficient health care providers. We want to use technology to improve our patient outcomes and the service we provide,” Wyard said.
