Dr. Miriam Vega

Chief Executive Officer
Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center, Inc.

Under the direction of Dr. Miriam Vega and her Team, the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center (JPA) has established itself as a healthcare leader assisting the communities it serves through some of the most difficult days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though in-person visits were understandably down, JPA quickly introduced a robust televisit program and testing program both of which helped to guide its patients and community residents through some of the darkest days of the pandemic while enabling them to still receive the healthcare they needed.

As quickly as the vaccines became available, Dr. Vega and her Team realigned the JPA staff to make sure that vaccinations were made accessible. JPA Team members have even reached out “on the streets” to communicate one-on-one with community residents, answer questions and encourage them to get vaccinated. Because the Far Rockaway area is home to a large pocket of vaccine-hesitant, JPA has opened its two Rockaway sites to full-day, dedicated vaccination sites open to anyone who wants the shot.

Dr. Miriam Vega has devoted her professional career to bringing quality and comprehensive healthcare services to those who need it the most. JPA has fully reopened and is currently moving forward with the planned expansion of space and services to incorporate a Wellness Care Center which will include community space for support groups to address some of the most critical health conditions, i.e., diabetes, hypertension, asthma, obesity and mental health.

Miriam Vega, PhD is an experienced executive of non-profit organizations, including Federally Qualified Health Centers and AIDS service organizations, Dr. Vega created the CHANGE model of capacity-building assistance which helps to build culturally responsive programming, quality improvement and organizational infrastructure at community-based organizations across the Nation.

Before coming to Addabbo, Dr. Vega served as CEO and Executive Vice President of FQHCs and CBOs in large underserved urban communities Further, as Chief Operations Officer at Kedren Community Health Center in Los Angeles, CA she helped integrate mental health and primary care services. She is currently a HOPE fellow and chair of American Public Health Association’s Committee on Health Equity.