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William Carmichael
Colleen Creighton
Michael W. Davis
Kathleen K. DeVine
Diane Douglas
Kathleen M. Ferket
Marta Gazda-Auskalnis
Tricia Hennessy
Kristin V. MacRAE
Rosanne Merrill
Martin J. McHale
Madeleine McMullan
Suzanne Murin
Steven R. Rothbloom
Pat Pulido Sanchez
K. Sue Sanford
Cynthia Scholl
James H. Stacke
Margaret S. Tresley
Benjamin E. Wolff, III
JoEllen Bursinger Zacks
Laura Alter Co-President
Kimberly O’Gorman Co-President
Lisa Haines 1st Vice President
Laura Gates Keogh 2nd Vice President
Kristi Gillespie-Brown 3rd Vice President
Sarah Georgi Co-Treasurer
Lynda Given Co-Treasurer
Kelley Gibson Recording Secretary
Joan Bowers Corresponding Secretary
Maria Enright Board Advisor
Bryan C. Cressey
Nathan P. Eimer
Cynthia Landreth
John W. Stimpson
John P. Volkman
IWS Family Health provides healthcare services, education, and support to children and families in the Chicagoland area.
Call us +1 (773) 782-2800
Visit us 3600 W Fullerton Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
We provide healthcare services and education to medically underserved and vulnerable families in the Chicagoland area.
Call us +1 (773) 782-2800
Visit us 3600 W Fullerton Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
Monday 8am – 8pm
Tuesday 8am – 6pm
Wednesday 8am – 8pm
Thursday 8am-8pm
Friday 8am-5pm
Saturday 8am-2pm (open on the
2nd and 4th Saturday of the month)
IWS Family Health provides healthcare services, education, and support to children and families in the Chicagoland area.
Call us +1 (773) 782-2800
Visit us 3600 W Fullerton Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
We provide healthcare services and education to medically underserved and vulnerable families in the Chicagoland area.
Call us +1 (773) 782-2800
Visit us 3600 W Fullerton Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
Monday 8am – 8pm
Tuesday 8am – 6pm
Wednesday 8am – 8pm
Thursday 8am – 8pm
Friday 8am – 5pm
Saturday 8am – 2pm (open the
second and fourth Saturday of the month)
Member of the Illinois Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA) and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)
Our tax ID number is 36-2167752.
Heidi Ortolaza-Alvear is the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of IWS Family Health, bringing a wealth of experience in public health and social equity. Raised in Chicago, Heidi feels a strong connection to the communities that IWS Family Health serves, making her appointment feel like a homecoming.
Prior to joining IWS Family Health, Heidi held the position of Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Esperanza Health Centers, where she led initiatives that resulted in the opening of three new community health centers, the creation of a family medicine residency program, and the development of one of Illinois’ first PACE programs for seniors. Her career also includes leading impactful policy changes in maternal and child health at EverThrive Illinois.
Heidi holds dual master’s degrees in social work and public policy from the University of Chicago and undergraduate degrees from Carleton College. Her academic and professional background has fueled her commitment to health equity and access, aligning perfectly with IWS Family Health’s mission to provide quality, integrated healthcare to children and families in Chicago.
As CEO, Heidi is committed to continuing IWS Family Health’s 113-year legacy of innovation and community impact. She looks forward to collaborating with the IWS team, Board of Directors, and community partners to further advance the organization’s mission and ensure equitable healthcare for all.
Dr. Portela is a Board Certified pediatrician and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She graduated from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago with a Bachelor of Science and a minor in Sociology. After college, she worked as a case manager at Casa Central in Humboldt Park. Soon after she graduated with honors from Ross University School of Medicine and a Masters in Healthcare Administration from National Louis University.
Dr. Portela completed her residency in pediatrics at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her special interests are in areas of high-risk pediatric patients: newborns, obesity, nutrition, and asthma/allergy illnesses.
Dr. Portela was born in Colombia, South America and raised in Logan Square. She is bilingual and understands the multicultural facets of society to medicine. Her special interests are in areas of high-risk pediatric patients: newborns, obesity, nutrition, and asthma/allergy illnesses.
Dr. Portela has been an enthusiastic and dedicated member of the Angel Harvey Family Health Center team since her arrival in 2017. She exudes dedication and leads by example in her role as Chief Medical Officer and brings the same vigor and energy to her leadership as she is a provider and leader of our Comer Sano/Eat Healthy group.
Karen Williams is a Certified Public Accountant. She received her Bachelor of Science from Northern Illinois University in accounting in 1983. Working with several large corporations she gained extensive experience and expertise in accounting with over three decades of financial knowledge.
Her widespread experience with nonprofits has made her an ideal fit for Angel Harvey Family Health Center (IWS). She accepted the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with IWS on September 10, 2018. Since then, she has been a financial executive who can seamlessly shift gears to also assist to help lead IWS through evolving times. Karen has prided herself on upkeeping her integrity in such an integral role.
Forward-facing, Karen’s future endeavor for IWS is to ensure that she preserves the financial risks management. Her substantial participation and encounter with FQHC’s have assisted IWS in modeling the criterion to prepare us for success for the next 100 yrs.
Prior to rising up the ranks at Angel Harvey Family Health Center (IWS), Denise committed 13 years to public service for the Department of Public Health where she ultimately became the Clinic Manager for the Uptown Neighborhood Health Center where she was responsible for an FQHC look-alike health center with over 20,000 annual patient visits.
Denise has an extensive background in health IT, Instrumental in leading EMR lunches for both the Chicago Department of Public Health and IWS. She has received certified leadership training, training on National Incident Management Systems, and ongoing participation in safety net COO-CMO Discussion and networking groups. Denise Gonzalez accepted the role as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) on July 1, 2019. She has served in multiple roles with IWS over the last 7 years and has furthered her commitment by stepping into the role as the COO.
Denise started out as a patient of Angel Harvey Family Health Center and her commitment to bridge the gap between communication barriers and affordable, efficient, holistic, quality care drove her passion to reinvest into the same community from which she comes. During her tenure, she has championed balance to meet the operational needs and enriching the staff. She has spearheaded the task of cross-training staff to increase their skill-based knowledge and such programming has been the reason behind the success in the organization’s high internal growth, employee engagement, and retention. As IWS continues to embark on growth, Denise plans to focus her initiatives on maintaining the significance of supporting the employees in the workplace to stimulate quality patient care.
Jose Galarza serves as the Chief Healthcare Analytics Officer for Angel Harvey Family Health Center (IWS). Prior to joining the team at IWS, Jose worked with Joint Commission as a Written Report Analyst for 9 years where he recognized his passion for data analytics.
Earlier on Jose served for 16 years in the United States Army. During his time of active duty, he went on to obtain his Associates Degree in System Network and Computer Information. Jose continued his education at Rochville University. He is currently enrolled at Grantham University where he will receive his Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics.
Jose started with IWS in 2011 as the Director of Revenue Cycle. During his first year, he was able to get IWS’ Behavioral Health Services enrolled to bill for services under Medicaid rule 132. Jose’s analytic skill set allowed him to implement innovative processes and procedures to maximize revenue at IWS. In his efforts, his department revamped the credentialing process for providers which now allows them to have the ability to bill a multitude of insurances. This initiative has made it possible for IWS providers to increase the demographic population that we are now able to serve. Jose’s ongoing passion to always find a way is the determination IWS needs for many years to come.
At IWS Family Health, Michelle has led the organization’s strategy and business development, fundraising, communications, marketing, outreach, and community relations for over a decade. Before coming to the organization, she was the Programs and Development Director for the Kellogg Fellows Leadership Alliance, where she led the fund development program and shared a programs portfolio that included multi-disciplinary initiatives on global health, immigration, food security, and civic engagement. She has a master’s degree in Human Rights and Global Health from the University of Denver’s Korbel School of International Studies and a BA in International Studies with minors in Commercial Italian and French.
Cyndi Mozzetti brings over 17 years of Government Programs experience through her time working at Cigna-HealthSpring, BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, and Molina Healthcare of Illinois. Much of her experience has been in performance improvement, program creation and implementation, data analysis, performance management and quality assurance. Cyndi has a demonstrated history of success in leading teams from multiple disciplines, to ensure the highest possible health outcomes for patients. In addition to her hands-on volunteer work in the community, Cyndi also volunteers her time serving as Lurie Children’s Hospital Co-Chair of the Finance Committee, for their All Hands Health Network; a 7-year Integrated Care for Kids grant award from CMS, to improve health outcomes and reduce cost of care for children covered by Medicaid.
As a teenager, Karina volunteered at the Department of Public Health clinics where she developed an interest in public health management. She began working at Angel Harvey in 2012 as a Patient Support Specialist and has since moved up in the organization to become the Director of Operations. Her ability to manage staff, assist patients, and simultaneously maintain the high standards of public health management and quality has helped IWS to provide exceptional patient care and respond to the quick and often changing needs of our population. Karina hopes to continue servicing and helping the community that she holds dear to her heart.
Dr. Tara Ioffe is a dedicated and compassionate Board-Certified Family Medicine physician with a strong commitment to providing excellent care to her patients. She obtained her medical degree from Avalon University in Curacao and went on to complete her Family Medicine Residency at the University of Oklahoma. She has worked at the University of Chicago and most recently NorthShore University. She has since returned to Chicago and is thrilled to join the IWS Family Health team in 2023, where she will continue to provide excellent care to her patients.
Throughout her career, Dr. Ioffe has gained experience in diverse medical fields, such as immediate and urgent care medicine while working at NorthShore Immediate Care. She did clinical research at the University of Chicago. Dr. Ioffe strives to foster a secure and inclusive environment for all her patients. She believes in an integrated approach to medicine, dedicating her time to understand each patient’s unique needs.
During her leisure time, Dr. Ioffe indulges in reading a variety of books for pleasure, plays boardgames, and loves to explore Chicago with her spouse and young child.
