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Bio:
UKIAH, CA — MCHC Health Centers is proud to welcome physician assistant Omar Ibarra, who is now seeing patients ages 12 and older Monday through Friday at Hillside Health Center in Ukiah. He is bilingual and looks forward to caring for both Spanish and English speakers. Ibarra has always wanted to work in the medical field. “My mom was a nurse, and I got to see how important both physical and mental health were to helping people thrive in their everyday lives,” he says. While he was completing his undergraduate degree, he shadowed a physician assistant and saw firsthand that this was the right career path for him. “I’ve been on that track ever since,” he says. As he made steps toward that goal, Ibarra worked as a medical scribe, which is a person who does documentation for a medical provider, freeing up the provider to focus on patient care. He then worked for three years as a medical assistant in cardiology, infectious disease, and primary care. Ibarra believes in MCHC’s model of caring for all people regardless of circumstances, background, or ability to pay. He has experienced how crucial this support can be in his own life. “I grew up in Chicago, predominantly living in underserved areas,” he says. He noted that he and his family and friends relied on medical care from clinics and facilities that did not turn anyone away. “I want to reinforce the social safety net that has caught me so many times before,” he says of choosing to work in a clinic with the same priorities. Ibarra believes in MCHC’s model of patient-centered care, recognizing how important it is to connect with patients and understand the nuances of their lives. “There are a lot of factors that go into a patient’s health: social circumstances, their finances, what kinds of support systems they have, their faith—all of the things that happen outside of the exam room,” he says. “If you’re really going to treat someone as a whole person, you have to take those things into account and be curious about people’s lives. Rather than simply trying to fix things with medicine, I take a really big interest in the lives of my patients.” Ibarra defines a successful relationship between a patient and their provider as a partnership and aims to empower his patients as they make decisions about their lives and health. “I think patients can most benefit from the relationship with their provider when they take an equal responsibility in their health. We are in a partnership where we can work together as the patient reaches their goals,” he says. MCHC Interim Chief Medical Officer Justin Ebert, PA-c, said, “Omar brings a passion for providing comprehensive, mission-driven, culturally sensitive care to our community. His soft-spoken, easy-going demeanor coupled with empathy and an admirable clinical background are a welcome addition to the MCHC family.” Ibarra is beginning his career as a physician assistant at MCHC after graduating from the Rosalind Franklin University’s Physician Assistant Program. Before that, he graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Ibarra attended graduate school with financial support from the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), committing in return to work at an NHSC-approved facility that provides patients with care regardless of their ability to pay. After many years in Chicago, he was excited to apply for a position across the country at MCHC. “I’ve been living in a big city for my whole life,” he says of the move to the West Coast and a rural community. “I wanted to try something new.” Ibarra enjoys hiking and recently tried both mountain biking and paddleboarding. He also likes recreational sports including wrestling, volleyball, basketball, and tennis. “It’s been great. I love the outdoors,” Ibarra says of relocating somewhere closer to nature. “Back in Chicago I could hear my neighbors through the drywall, and now my neighbors are deer.” MCHC Health Centers includes Hillside Health Center and Dora Street Health Center in Ukiah, Little Lake Health Center in Willits, and Lakeview Health Center in Lakeport. It is a community-based and patient-directed organization that provides comprehensive primary healthcare services as well as supportive services such as education and translation that promote access to healthcare.