Dr. Andrea Caracostis is the CEO of the Asian American Health Coalition dba HOPE Clinic and has dedicated her life to providing equal health care access to all. HOPE Clinic is a nonprofit organization that provides health care services to everyone regardless of their ability to pay. In 2002, HOPE Clinic began addressing a widening health disparity gap faced by the rapidly growing immigrant and refugee populations residing in southwest Houston.

Dr. Caracostis has held the position of CEO since 2007. At that time, she directed a staff of five with a budget of $700,000. Under her leadership, HOPE Clinic has grown exponentially, becoming a federally qualified health center (FQHC) serving anyone, specifically the uninsured, underinsured, and limited-English-proficient multicultural residents of the greater Houston area. Now an $18 million corporation, HOPE Clinic boasts a staff of 165, has expanded to three locations in southwest Houston, and handles 70,000 patient visits annually. It offers its services in 17 different languages, and they are considerable: comprehensive primary, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecological, vision, dental, nutrition, and mental behavioral health.

Through its various partner providers, HOPE Clinic is also able to offer pediatric cardiology, pulmonology, hematology, and oncology. Recently, HOPE Clinic received the highest level of Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) accreditation, illustrating its commitment to continuous quality improvement and a patient-centered approach to care.

Dr. Caracostis is a physician who also has a master’s in public health. Her track record of committing to improving the health of vulnerable and underserved patients is a long and illustrious one. She has worked in the community health centers movement since 1998 providing direct care to patients and as administrative staff. Dr. Caracostis worked as a provider at the 330-funded Migrant Health Center (MHC) and served as a consultant to the Migrant Clinicians Network providing technical assistance to community health centers around the country. She has been active in the Bureau of Primary Health Care’s Health Disparities Collaborative and is a member of many national health care advisory committees. Dr. Caracostis has long been recognized for her work in health care access and is well-known for her spirit of collaboration and partnership building.

For the last 10 years, Dr. Caracostis has worked with the HOPE Clinic board of directors developing a strategy to address the need for culturally appropriate care for the multicultural community living in southwest Houston. Dr. Caracostis has also served as a board member of the Texas Association of Community Health Centers, Susan G. Komen Medical Board, and the MD Anderson Institutional Review Board. Currently, she is a board member of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community Health Centers Organization. Dr. Caracostis has been the principal investigator in several federal, state, and private grant awards.

Under her leadership, HOPE Clinic has received several awards for its quality of care and innovation, which have made HOPE Clinic a high performer and place the clinic in the top 10 percentile of clinics in the nation. They include: 2014 Impact Award from the Susan G. Komen Foundation; 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018: named National Clinical Quality Improver by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); 2017 Patient Centered Medical Home Level 3 (highest level) from The National Committee for Quality Assurance; and 2018 Access Enhancer by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Under the dedicated leadership of Dr. Caracostis, The Asian American Health Coalition dba HOPE Clinic has advanced significantly in its efforts to reduce health disparities through community awareness campaigns, affordable prevention services, and accessible treatment and medication while connecting patients to a health home. Through her numerous roles with various organizations, Dr. Caracostis has worked, and continues to work, diligently to improve the health of vulnerable and underserved patients. Her career has centered on quality healthcare access and passion for eliminating disparities and improving the health status of minorities and other underserved communities. She has made tremendous contributions to HOPE Clinic’s success, and her important work has made a transformative difference to the community.

CKW LUXE would like to congratulate Dr. Andrea Caracostis for being a CKW LUXE Top 20 CEOs and Entrepreneurs Awards recipient for 2019.