Thank you to all our staff that participated in our 2nd Annual Summer Team Building Event. As a company we know the importance of building a happy yet effective team of individuals.
Southern Nevada Smart Start Graduate Shares His Experience With Our New Program
Managing director Kristine Yumul, director of hospital program, pharmacy director Vanessa Roberts and graduate of the Smart Start program Art Hernandez speaking more about the important work happening in Southern Nevada.
Reno Based Company Launches New Work Program
RENO BASED COMPANY LAUNCHES NEW WORK PROGRAM
Reno, NV - (November 27, 2018) –The Well Care Group’s Reno location announces the pilot of a work program for their residents.
The new work program allows residents of the Well Care Services Reno housing program to gain essential job skills to help them reacclimate back into society. After completion of the course, residents are given a certification of completion and help with job placement.
Reno Team
We are striving to make Reno a better place. Our team is what makes us great! Our team members at our Reno clinic and our new ANNEX department.
Seasonal Affective Disorder: Nevada's Suicide Season
The post-holiday blues are a real concern for those who suffer Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is depression that spikes during the winter months. Suicide has long been a major problem in Nevada. The state is #5 in the nation for suicides. Angela Fuller, a clinical professional counselor at the Well Care Group in Reno, finds that fact very believable. As she told us, "Absolutely."
Angela is on the front lines, one of many therapists in Reno here to help. She has 50 clients at the Well Care Group on Mill Street, and like the others there, she’s trained to catch the signs -- like the young man who was giving his things away: "That's kind of a warning sign. If someone starts giving away their belongings and possessions, And the final trigger was, he found a safe place for his dog."
It's a problem big enough to put Nevada near the top of another unfortunate list. We are fifth in the nation for suicides, and the problem seems to be getting worse. Angela told me, "Young people are really high risk, especially in Nevada."
The latest data shows suicide is the third leading cause of death for young Nevadans between 15 and 24, and the second leading cause of death for ages 25 to 35. Even more alarming: for every teen that dies by suicide, it's estimated that 100 to 200 teens have attempted. And Nevada has the highest elder suicide rate in the country. Local issues aren’t helping. What does Angela sense out there? "There's a lot of a sense of loss lately with the housing. People are struggling just to make ends meet right now, so it’s a financial burden on a lot of people."
And if there's a season for suicide, it's winter. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a real thing, brought on by holiday stress and shorter days. Angela says "We see it a lot here: a lot of depression, a lot of isolation. And an increase in substance abuse also which contributes to that."
Angela and The Well Care Group do what they can. She believes in what she does. Lives have been saved. She tells me reaching out is the best thing anyone can do. "Oh, absolutely important. Suicide is 100% preventable. So if you or a family member need help, reach out."
Las Vegas based healthcare company launches new clinic in Reno
World Mental Health Day
Las Vegas Based Healthcare Company Moves Current Clinic in Reno, Nevada
Reno, NV - (August 8th, 2017) – The Well Care Group is moving on August 14th, 2017 from their current location at 790 Willow Street Reno, Nevada 89502 to 850 Mill Street Reno, Nevada 89502. The Las Vegas based company expanded to Reno in 2016, and in less than one year the clinic has exceeded performance expectations and outgrown it’s current location. This exciting move will help to accommodate even more patients and allow the clinic to offer expanded and improved services.
Bringing Healthcare Clinic to Underserved
A unique and successful medical practice that started in the Las Vegas area has now established a footprint in Northern Nevada.
In 2015, The Well Care Group piloted a program, aimed at reducing the number of readmissions among the underserved population in the Southern Nevada city. The program was so successful it was implemented at 90 percent of hospitals in Las Vegas.
"It has done so well in Las Vegas there was no reason it could not impact the population in Northern Nevada," said Max Casal, who is CFO as well as managing director of the Northern Nevada division of Well Care.
Max's brother Michael Casal serves as director of women's health women health for Well Care Northern Nevada.
“Myself and my brothers are very entrepreneurial and have a balance of financial and clinical understanding.”Max Casal
The Reno facility called Well Care Medical and Behavioral Clinc, provides preventive integrated psychiatric and primary healthcare services for underserved populations in the region such as the indigent, homeless or other sectors that may not have the means to get medical treatment.
"If you really think about it these are the types of patients who are down and out, nobody wants to take care of them," Michael Casal said. "These are the people who really need our help. They don't have the finances to do it, so we try to provide them with the resources to transition to a more independent lifestyle."
While the clinic's focuses on a patient's mental health issues, Michael and Max Casal explained part of that treatment is addressing a patient's physical well-being simultaneously. They added that patient's mental illnesses may have a lot to do with physical complications.
The practice is unique in that it incorporates other aspects of healthcare, including a team of medical, case management and pharmaceutical professionals to assist patients during and after treatment — all in one location. That can save time and money.
"When I'm treating a patient, I can just go down the hall if I need to speak to, say, their primary physician or speak with the case manager," Michael Casal said.
While they have the majority of necessary services onsite, they do work with area medical service providers for needed patient care.
In Las Vegas, Well Care also has added other services such as transportation and temporary housing options for patients in an effort to eliminate obstacles to attending appointments or obtaining medications. The Casals has made efforts to mirror those added amenities to patients in Northern Nevada.
The practice started out as Well Care Pharmacy in 2007 dedicated to Las Vegas' underserved elderly population, before they were sold to CVS Pharmacies. While they maintained a foothold in the pharmaceutical industry, the practice morphed into The Well Care Group model.
Max and Michael's brother, Marce Casal, patriarch of Well Care, serves as president and CEO and is based in Las Vegas.
In the short time they've been in Reno, the Casals established another practice that they don't offer in Southern Nevada: women's health services.
Michael Casal operates an obstetrician and gynecology practice in Tennessee and travels to Northern Nevada at least once a month for several days to monitor the clinical side of the practice and provide women's health services.
Max Casal, who has a background in advertising and finance, was brought on to bring balance to the clinic's operations. He admitted while he's a relative novice in the medical industry, he is excited for the new challenges and eager for Well Care concept to grow in the region.
"Myself and my brothers are very entrepreneurial and have a balance of financial and clinical understanding," he said.
Michael Casal added, "I think we compliment each other really well both on the clinical and financial side. We are of no use to our clients, no matter how noble it is, unless we make sound business decisions. We build off each other's strengths to make sure this clinic runs efficiently."
Well Care's Northern Nevada office has been situated at 790 Willow Street, in Reno. But the Casals quickly realized the 2,500 square foot space couldn't adequately support the demand for the services the clinic provides. In response, the clinic is relocating to an 8,000 square foot location on Mill Street.
While the Casals believe they've found their niche, they don't want to lose site of their mission.
"I think you don't want to go too fast and compromise a lot of the care we provide to our clients," Max Casal said. "We're still a very patient-centric clinic."
Max and Michael Casal contend a good percentage of the underserved population is unaware of the clinic. One of their future goals is to figure out ways to reach that sector and educate them on the benefits of the clinic.
They understand the hardships.
"Growing up in the Philippines, we weren't exposed to a lot of the finer things in life," Michael Casal said. "When we immigrated to the United States, we felt like that underserved population was the type of people we wanted to serve. In Nevada we have a subset of people really needing good healthcare."