De la Cruz-Reyes Joins Californians for Patient Care Board of Directors

De la Cruz-Reyes Joins Californians for Patient Care Board of Directors

<0> Californians for Patient CareAnissa Routon, 916-552-3064 </0>

Californians for Patient Care (CPC), a leading patient-advocacy organization, announced today the addition of healthcare executive and nursing educator Pilar De La Cruz-Reyes, RN, MSN, to its board of directors.

“Californians for Patient Care is delighted to add Pilar De La Cruz-Reyes to its board of directors,” said Tom May, chairman of Californians for Patient Care. “As an accomplished nurse and nurse educator, Pilar is well-versed in the challenges patients experience in accessing quality care. This perspective is invaluable to Californians for Patient Care as we work to identify ways to close the access gap and ensure the patient experience is not forgotten in the policy-making arena.”

De La Cruz-Reyes currently serves as director of United States University’s School of Nursing in Chula Vista, Calif. Prior to arriving at United States University a year ago, De La Cruz-Reyes served as the diversity director at the California Institute for Nursing and Health Care and also as the executive director of the San Joaquin Valley Nursing Education Consortium, part of the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California. She is a former member of the nursing faculty at both San Joaquin Valley College and Fresno Pacific University and served as chief nurse executive at the Fresno Heart Hospital. De la Cruz-Reyes also held several clinical and administrative positions at Fresno Community Hospital during her 37-year tenure.

De la Cruz-Reyes has held a number of senior-level positions with other non-profits and professional organizations, including the National Hispanic Nurses Association (San Joaquin Chapter), the Central San Joaquin Valley Nursing Leadership Council, the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the National Sub-acute Care Association, the Central California School of Pharmacy, the State Center Community College Foundation and the American Heart Association (Central Valley Chapter).

“Californians for Patient Care serves as the patient voice for all Californians, ensuring their experiences are at the center of health-policy decisions,” said Carmella Gutierrez, president of Californians for Patient care. “Pilar has a unique understanding of the priorities and care challenges of patients from all walks of life. She will provide us with important clinical and administrative perspective on healthcare issues that are increasingly important to our patients and will help us identify ways in which we can develop meaningful solutions to improve the health of our communities.”

“For more than 40 years, I have dedicated myself to providing exceptional care and educating the next generations of nurses to effectively care for an increasingly diverse group of patients,” said De La Cruz-Reyes. “I am honored to join a group whose mission – to ensure access to quality care to all Californians – so closely mirrors my own personal and professional goals.”

Californians for Patient Care is a nonprofit patient-advocacy organization based in Sacramento dedicated to protecting the interests of patients and ensuring all California consumers have fair and equitable access to high quality healthcare. For more information, visit .