Transform LCDP’s service delivery system to provide tailored, team-based, culturally and linguistically appropriate care to Latinos living with diabetes.

• Tailor diabetes care for Latinos to their appropriate levels of need through the integration of risk stratification into La Clinica’s diabetes program
• Enhance medical care coordination and reduce psychosocial barriers to care for diabetes patients through enrollment of Latinos with diabetes in high-risk care management and care coordination

Develop interventions that strengthen skills and capacity of health care sector to provide high quality diabetes care and self-management support to Latinos living with diabetes.

• Strengthen culturally and linguistically appropriate team-based care through integration of Community Health Workers (CHWs) into care teams
• Improve self-management of type 2 diabetes for Latino patients through evidence-based group interventions led by trained community health workers
• Increase patient engagement in their own care and facilitate provider-patient communication through text messaging app-based technology introduced by community health workers trained as “digital navigators”
• Strengthen medical care team skills and knowledge for type 2 diabetes and comorbidities care through medical team training overseen by a diabetes specialist and introduction of regular diabetes case review meetings

La Clínica is focused on supporting unmet medical and social needs:

• La Clínica addresses barriers by providing services in patients’ preferred language and distributing food that reflects cultural preferences. La Clínica has an extensive collaboration with a local area food partner, FRESHFARM, who provides fresh produce to clients at a reduced cost. This partnership increases food access for low-income clients who are not eligible for SNAP benefits, mainly due to immigration status.
• La Clínica’s community service wing of their organization, La Casa Community Health Action Center, provides navigation support to various education and services that alleviate barriers for patients and community members.
• La Clínica and Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) engage in medical-legal partnership to provide support for the legal and health needs of their patients and community members.

Ricardo Fernández, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Ricardo F. Fernández, MD serves as Chief Medical Officer and is a practicing physician at La Clínica del Pueblo, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Washington, DC. Dr. Fernández has spent the majority of his professional career working with the Latino and with other medically underserved communities and is a firm believer that high quality clinical outcomes can be attained despite the many barriers faced by these populations.

Dr. Fernández received his MD degree from the University of Wisconsin and completed a residency in internal medicine and primary care at the George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, DC.

Dr. Fernandez’s professional experience includes working in private practice as well as community health center and academic settings. He holds faculty appointments from George Washington University and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He is actively involved in the training of medical students to practice in underserved communities.