Community Stories

The total cost of missed health care appointments in the United States every year is an astronomical $150 billion. For millions of patients across the country, arranging transportation to a medical appointment presents a challenge. To help address this transportation barrier, Scripps entered a partnership with Facilitating Access to Coordinated Transportation (FACT) Inc., a local non-profit organization. FACT provides transportation for San Diego residents in need by coordinating on-demand rides for patients. This collaborative service has quickly proven to be a reliable, convenient, and cost-effective solution to one of the most difficult and expensive challenges in accessing medical care: transportation.

A key component of Scripps mission is to advance the education of physicians and health care professionals and sponsor graduate medical education. By investing in these areas, we help secure quality care for our community. Scripps has been training future physicians longer than any other institution in San Diego. For more than 70 years, physicians in Scripps Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs have helped care for underserved populations throughout the region.

Scripps offers a comprehensive range of graduate medical education programs across multiple hospitals, including Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista and Scripps Green Hospital. These programs are renowned for their commitment to excellence and feature a hands-on curriculum that places a strong emphasis on patient-centered care. They encompass a wide array of medical specialties, such as internal medicine, family medicine, podiatry, trauma, pharmacy, palliative care, emergency and surgical critical care, as well as research-focused programs.

Scripps GME programs serve our community in two equally important ways: providing much-needed medical care to the diverse patient population of San Diego County; and developing the talent and skills of new leaders in medicine, who together with Scripps will continue to break new ground in innovative, compassionate medical care. 

In Fiscal Year 2023, Scripps enrolled a total of 162 medical residents, 50 fellows across the Scripps health system, underscoring our commitment to medical education and community healthcare.

Each year, thousands of people learn to manage their diabetes effectively through the education and counseling provided by the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute. Group classes held in English and Spanish cover all aspects of diabetes care, including, diet, lifestyle, blood sugar monitoring, medications, coping skills, insulin management, technology and more. Individualized nutrition consultation and meal planning are also available. Scripps has been awarded full recognition by the Centers for Disease Control as a National Diabetes Prevention Program provider, a national initiative developed to help prevent diabetes.

“I decided to enroll because I knew it would be good for me,” says Hector Nunez, who was informed by the program that he had diabetes. “I knew that it was best for me, and that I needed to learn the right way to continue to live my life.”

In addition, the Woltman Family Diabetes Care and Prevention Center in Chula Vista — home to Scripps’ portion of a countywide Diabetes Prevention Program aimed at reducing the risk for developing type 2 diabetes — serves one of San Diego’s communities hit hardest by the diabetes epidemic. This center offers a full range of wellness, prevention, diabetes education and nutrition services in English and Spanish.

Stroke is a serious and potentially deadly medical condition. Scripps sponsors a wide variety of stroke related education and awareness programs. Team members provide stroke risk and blood pressure screenings along with BE-FAST education and tips to maintain a healthy blood pressure. The BE-FAST screening tool is a straightforward way to recognize and remember the signs of stroke. The acronym stands for Balance, Eyes, Drooping, Arm, Speech and Time. Scripps Stroke Program is actively involved in the San Diego County Stroke Consortium/Stroke Advisory Committee, a county-wide stroke group focused on coordinating stroke care. They lead efforts to promote a unified message about seeking emergency treatment for stroke symptoms in the community.

According to the National Council on Aging, falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries for older Americans. One in four Americans aged 65+ experience a fall each year; every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in an emergency department for a fall.

Understandably, many older adults have concerns about falling and restrict their activities. Scripps educates older adults countywide on preventing falls through exercise and taking proactive safety measures in the home. “A Matter of Balance” is an eight-week program on practical strategies to manage falls, improve safety awareness and utilize available resources to promote independence and overall safety. Scripps physical therapists and physical therapy student volunteers provide fall risk assessments and lead balance classes to help enhance stability, posture and coordination.

Every year, three to five student athletes in San Diego County die suddenly and unexpectedly from sudden cardiac arrest, an abnormality in the heart’s electrical system that can happen without symptoms or warning signs. But this life-threatening condition can be detected with a cardiac screening exam.

Scripps Health is raising awareness of sudden cardiac arrest in young people through sponsorship of the Eric Paredes Save A Life Foundation. This program helps to prevent sudden cardiac arrest and death in middle and high school aged children, including underserved areas in San Diego County, through awareness, education and action. Volunteers from Scripps, including physicians, nurses and echocardiograms techs screen students throughout San Diego County. 

Brett was an art major when the voices started. Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, he struggled to come to terms with his illness. “I didn’t accept that I was ill for several years,” Brett says. Today, Brett is hard at work supporting Scripps Mercy Hospital’s billing and reimbursement team.

Rose “Posey” Hagarman, who has lived with major depression most of her life, became a master’s-prepared surgical ICU nurse. “I was devastated when I couldn’t continue that job after a stroke,” says Posey. “Through the years I tried a lot of different things that didn’t work. And then, there was this beautiful program called A-Visions. Some people are just dropped onto the street after their initial treatment. But here, they lift you up.”

These two stories and countless others are all thanks to A-Visions, an innovative and nationally recognized work program launched in 2002 by Jerry Gold, PhD. Along with therapy, A-Visions empowers people like Brett and Rose to secure volunteer or paid employment at Scripps and other organizations.

Paid A-Visions candidates typically limit their work to eight hours per week. This schedule allows them to maintain their disability benefits, medications and medical care that enable them to work.

“Some candidates have lengthy commutes to work,” says Kevin Wilson, program lead for A-Visions. “That’s how much they value what they do.”

“A-Visions has been a joy for me,” says Janice Shivers, whose major depression has waxed and waned throughout her life. “I work part-time in health information, and I love what I do. I just opened a new bank account with my paycheck, and the teller said, ‘Oh, I love Scripps.’ It makes me feel so good to know that I’m a part of this organization. I’ve had my job for four years — the longest I’ve ever worked any one place.”