The KHEIR Center is proud to announce the addition of two new full-time physicians to its community clinic. Our staff members are a diverse group of individuals who are dedicated to ensuring that the underserved and disadvantaged residents of Los Angeles have access to essential healthcare services. We are honored to have Dr. Kathy Bak and Dr. Rene Gonzales join our team.

Bak is the primary care provider at the KHEIR - S. Mark Taper Foundation Community Clinic. As a 1.5 generation Korean American, she saw firsthand the struggles her parents experienced when trying to find adequate medical care for their family due to language barriers and limited resources. A medical mission trip to India last summer reinforced her passion for working with the underserved, leading her to seek a job at a community clinic. She completed her residency in family practice at Northwestern University.

“I always knew I’d be serving the unreached communities when I first entered medicine. I’ve always had a heart for Koreans; they remind me of my own family, and to have been given the opportunity to help them improve the quality of their lives, I am grateful,” Bak says.

KHEIR’s primary care services include women’s health, men’s health and family planning. All staff members are either bilingual or tri-lingual, making KHEIR’s clinic the only community clinic in the country able to provide all services in Spanish, Korean and English.

Dr. Kathy Bak, KHEIR’s new primary care provider.

Dr. Rene Gonzalez is the head of the pediatrics program at KHEIR’s community clinic and is responsible for managing and providing all pediatric care. Pediatric health care services are offered as part of the Kaiser Permanente Healthy Child Program at the KHEIR – S. Mark Taper Foundation Community Clinic. He spent time as an exchange student in Korea and has visited many other countries including Japan, China, Vietnam, India, Egypt and Morocco as part of a study abroad program called Semester at Sea. Through his travels, he has developed an appreciation for diverse cultures and is conscious of the cultural sensitivity needed when caring for recently immigrated, limited and non-English speaking patients. Growing up as a member of the target immigrant population in Southern California, Gonzalez is passionate about public health and the patients he serves. On his reasons for working at a community clinic, Gonzalez says, “My main goal has been to find a pediatric opportunity where I can make a difference.  I am committed to providing general pediatrics primary care to those who need it the most, particularly those children who are in medically underserved areas.” He completed his residency in Pediatrics at the University of Iowa and is bilingual in Spanish and English. 

Through the Healthy Child Program, youth (ages 0 to 21) can receive:

 

• Well-baby exams

• Preschool and school physicals

• Diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic diseases

• Developmental assessments

• Hearing and vision screenings

• Immunizations and more

 

Regular visits to the pediatrician are important because they allow the doctor to evaluate the general health, growth and development of a child. The recommended schedule of visits are: birth, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months and annually between 2 to 18 years.