Plentiful sunshine. High around 80F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..

A few passing clouds. Low 48F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.

Abundant sunshine. High 81F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..

A few passing clouds. Low 47F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.

The Rohnert Park Health Center will soon be joined by board certified pediatrician, Dr. Martha Cueto-Salas. After 18 years of operating her own practice in Petaluma, Dr. Cueto-Salas will join the health center along with newly hired pediatricians, Dr. Urmila A. Shende and Dr. Ian Hopper. Dr. Cueto-Salas and Dr. Hopper are fully bilingual in Spanish and English. This investment in access to care in Spanish is reflective of the growth of the Latino community in Sonoma County and Rohnert Park Health Center’s commitment to providing linguistically and culturally competent care to all community members. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Latino children already make up approximately 43 percent of the child population in Sonoma County. 

The Rohnert Park Health Center is part of the Petaluma Health Center, Inc. is a nationally recognized, award-winning federally qualified health center providing medical, dental, behavioral, vision, and wellness services to Sonoma and Marin counties. With an annual operating budget of $67 million and a staff of 537 employees, it provides over 240,000 health care visits to its over 40,000 patients across 12 health care delivery sites in Sonoma and Marin counties.

Pedro Toledo, Petaluma Health Center’s Chief Administration Officer, explains that “The addition of Dr. Cueto-Salas, Dr. Shende, and Dr. Hopper is a pediatric dream team. The Latino community in Sonoma County is projected to continue to grow over the next ten years, and Petaluma Health Center is committed to expanding access to high quality health care for our most vulnerable children and families in their language and with a cultural understanding that will most effectively improve their health.” 

Dr. Cueto-Salas is a board-certified Pediatrician and has more than 25 years of experience serving pediatric patients from newborns to 18 years of age. She earned her medical degree in Lima, Perú from the Greater National University of San Marcos, and received a Master’s in Public Health from UCLA’s Divisions of Population and Family Health. Dr. Cueto-Salas is looking forward to continuing to serve her existing and new patients.

Dr. Urmila Shende is a board-certified Pediatrician. She graduated from Cornell University before earning her Doctor of Medicine degree from Northwestern University and completed her Pediatric Residency at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Dr. Shende has been a resident of Sonoma County since 1998 and has worked as a private practice pediatrician for ten years and at Kaiser Permanente since 2009. Most recently, she has served as the COVID-19 Vaccine Chief for the County of Sonoma. Dr. Shende will oversee health center’s School-Based Mobile Van Services program focused on the cities of Rohnert Park and Cotati.

Dr. Ian Hopper attained his undergraduate degree at the University of Santa Cruz in California before studying medicine in Argentina and receiving his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Touro College in New York. He will be joining the health center in August 2022, having recently completed his Pediatric Residency at Illinois’ Advocate Children’s Hospital.

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