Our Ceo

Judith Shaplin, a life long resident of rural East County, has been working with Mountain Health & Community Services, Inc. (MHCS)
for over 20 years, for much of that time as the agency's Chief Executive Officer. She has managed during that time to dramatically
expand the impact of the agency and its programming in order to bring the community together in positive ways not previously
possible. Her vision has brought under the agency umbrella senior nutrition services, a computer learning center, mental health
services, home health care programs, immunization outreach programs, a community collaborative, and others. She has obtained
vehicles to deal with the serious transportation issues, and continues to address, with her staff, the needs of the community.

Mrs. Shaplin, from the beginning, was determined that the people of rural East County have access to primary health care that they
did not previously have, and she has been successful at that mission over the years. But what makes her achievements worthy of
notice is the way she has brought together the diverse aspects of the East County population, and formed a "hub" or center, around
which people are able to coalesce into a more closely knit community.

By absorbing the moribund Community Center into the corporation, she re-invigorated the Senior Nutrition Program throughout the
backcountry, and has used it to reach those seniors who had been previously isolated and alone. They now look forward not only to
good and nutritious food, but to a wide array of guest speakers, blood pressure and health checkups onsite, exercise groups, health
education and immunization opportunities, and others. Seniors can be linked with the primary care services offered at the three clinic
sites, or they can be provided with a home visit if it is needed.

There are many who believe that a private medical practice could never sustain itself in the backcountry. If Mrs. Shaplin had not
persevered over the years to maintain the Mountain Empire Family Health Center, initially, and later the Jacumba and the Alpine sites,
there would be virtually no primary care services available in rural East San Diego County.

Under Mrs. Shaplin's direction, MHCS has been aggressively involved in disaster preparedness since before the 2003 Firestorm,
which severely tested everyone. Four years later, in October 2007, the community saw a reprise of the Fire Storms of 2003, which
decimated a large portion of San Diego County, particularly in the rural areas. This time, the Community Center was immediately
transformed to an evacuation center, and over 275 were housed, clothed, fed and treated for over two weeks, and then for many
after for food distribution, referrals, health and mental health, and other critical services. The incident has shown that the
preparedness efforts of the past four years have been, for the most part, very successful.

Increased visibility of rural San Diego County and its many unaddressed issues, both on the local level, and perhaps more importantly,
on the State level, is Mrs. Shaplin's trademark. She has brought warmth, experience, and creativity to these venues, making tedious
bureaucratic processes more human.