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Juan Carlos Olivares, Executive Director
Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic
When Carlos Olivares took over as executive director of the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic in 1986, the organization had about 150 employees working at small clinics in Toppenish, Grandview and Cowiche. Today, more than 25 years after it was founded in 1978, the Farm Workers Clinic has over 1,200 employees providing medical, dental, mental health and social services at 22 facilities in Washington and Oregon.
Carlos grew up in La Paz, Bolivia, and graduated from Pepperdine University in California. Prior to coming to the Yakima area, he served in various administrative positions at health centers in California. Over the years he has gained a reputation as being a respected voice for people who lack access to quality healthcare.
He is a founding board member of Community Health Plan of Washington, an agency that administers state-subsidized medical insurance for over 200,000 patients. He is also a founding member and chairman of the board of Adaptis, a company with offices in Seattle and Yakima that provides computerized tracking of health insurance plans.
In addition, Carlos serves on the boards of Heritage University, the Central Washington State Fair Association and the Memorial Foundation.
In 2003, he was honored by the Washington Health Foundation as the recipient of the Heroes of Healthcare Award for Leadership.
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