United Community Heath Center News

UCHC Welcomes New Medical Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Julie Vails, MD Medical DirectorUnited Community Health Center is pleased to announce that Dr. Julie Vails began work at the clinic as the new Medical Director on July 6, 2010. Dr. Julie Vails assumes the position previously held by Dr. Ubaldo Salazar. Vails comes to UCHC from Elk Grove, California where she established a successful family practice which included Pediatric and Obstetrical services. She obtained her undergraduate degree in biology from Mills College in Oakland, Calif., in 1995 and her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco in 1999. She is a Board certified family physician.

In 2009, Dr. Vails completed post graduate work at the Institute for Physician Leadership at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Vails was the Senior Associate Medical Director for Adult Primary Care and the Director of Medical Informatics for Sutter Independent Physicians, an association of more than 500 primary care and specialist physicians in Sacramento, California. One of her responsibilities was to lead the design and deployment of their $12 million dollar electronic Integrated Medical Record project. She comes to Storm Lake after 8 years in private practice specializing in Family Medicine, Pediatrics and Obstetrics.

“Dr. Vails brings an abundance of clinical and leadership experience to UCHC that will allow us an opportunity to take our organization to the next level,” Seagren said. “One of her many strengths is community involvement evidenced by her long list of volunteer activities. She has a special interest in working with pregnant teens which aligns with our desire to build a quality prenatal and OB program in our health center. The fact that Dr. Vails can speak Spanish is an added bonus.”

Dr. Vails and her husband, Eugene (Tripp) Kuehnis have a blended family of six children ranging in age from 2 to 25 years.