Irma Cota, MPH, is the president and chief executive officer of North County Health Services, a non-profit, community organization that operates 11 health clinics to serve northern San Diego County residents. Since 1998, Cota has led NCHS to annually serving more than 60,000 individuals by providing them comprehensive medical, dental, mental health and health education services.
Under her direction, NCHS also operates a WIC (women, infants and children) program, which helps as many as 11,400 participants each month to prevent medical problems and improve their health during critical times of growth and development. Those who are HIV or AIDS patients also receive medical, dental, counseling and outreach services.
With Cota’s extensive experience in executive management, strategic program planning, finance and operational management in the public and private sectors, NCHS has become an organization with an annual budget of $38 million and a staff of more than 500. NCHS is accredited by the Joint Commission of Accreditation for Healthcare Organization, joining a handful of community health centers nationwide that have achieved this distinction.
