Dr. Jonathan Gates, South County born and bred, takes up the challenge
“Dr. Gates is an
experienced and effective health care leader,” stated Alison L. Croke,
President and CEO of Wood River Health. “His level of expertise will be
instrumental in helping us to achieve our mission to provide high-quality and
affordable health care services through a compassionate, team-based approach.
Under his direction, our health center will continue to evolve as a patient-centered medical home.”
Dr. Gates’ initial strategic initiatives during his Wood River Health tenure include identifying and prioritizing rising risk patients for care; developing and implementing quality workflows; and enhancing patients’ experience at Wood River Health. He will also provide medical services at Wood River Health’s new Express Care Clinic at its Hope Valley site.
Dr. Gates trained at McGill University Faculty of Medicine and completed residency at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine. Board certified in Internal Medicine, he formerly served as Chief Medical Officer for Accountable Care at Providence Community Health Centers.
During his tenure, he garnered over $24 million in net-new
Medicaid revenue for the center while increasing patient safety and equity of
health care access using proactive care management and flexible processes for
primary care teams.
South County born and raised, Dr. Gates practiced hospital medicine and obstetrical medicine consultation in the Care New England health system for 15 years. He was awarded the inaugural “Kent Hospital Physician of the Year” before moving to outpatient practice.
Ultimately becoming Chief Medical Information Officer, he worked to
empower providers in the new build and design of Epic Ambulatory. Dr. Gates’
career-long interests and expertise in Reliability and Patient Safety in
systems of care delivery have resulted in a 32-83% reduction in avoidable ER
use and a six-fold reduction in dangerous 30-day readmissions.
Dr. Gates and his
family are well known to the members of the local community. He is the son of
(the late) John Milton Gates, Ph.D., a professor of resource economics at the
University of Rhode Island for 39 years, and (the late) Jane Susan (Krohn)
Gates, a speech pathologist. Upon her passing, South County Hospital flew their
flag at half-mast to commemorate the loss of a woman who made an indelible
impact on the lives of her patients.
About Wood River Health
Since 1976, Wood River
Health has delivered medical, dental and social services to the communities of
southwestern Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut. Its mission is to
provide its patients with high-quality and affordable health care services
through a compassionate, team-based approach. Its vision is for every member of
its community to experience physical, emotional and social well-being.
A private, non-profit
Community Health Center, Wood River Health is devoted to providing quality
patient care to over 8,600 patients. It is recognized by the National Committee
for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a Patient-Centered Medical Home. As a Federally
Qualified Health Center (FQHC), Wood River Health receives funds from the HRSA
Health Center Program to provide primary care services in underserved
areas.