Leadership
Prem Reddy, MD, FACC, FCCP Chairman of the Board
Dr. Prem Reddy completed his residency training in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease at the Down State Medical Center, S.U.N.Y. in Brooklyn, New York. In 1981, he moved to California and established his medical practice in the High Desert area of Southern California. Dr. Reddy is double Board-Certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiology. He was awarded the honor of becoming a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology ("FACC") and a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians ("FCCP"). During his 25 years of practice in the High Desert, he was committed to the service of his patients and performed more than 5,000 cardiac procedures, including coronary angiography and angioplasty and permanent pacemaker implantations.
In 1994, Dr. Reddy built from the ground up an 83-bed acute care hospital, Desert Valley Hospital, in Victorville, California. Desert Valley Hospital received coveted accreditation with "commendation" in its first year of operation for the high quality of its services and continues to lead all hospitals in the area with the highest survey scores.
After selling a previous company, which included Desert Valley Hospital, Dr. Reddy founded Prime Healthcare Services ("PHS"), Inc. In 2001, Dr. Reddy repurchased the-then failing Desert Valley Hospital and the Desert Valley Medical Group and turned them back into successful entities that were once again able to serve the community and provide the highest quality of care.
Among the many accolades, Prime Healthcare was recognized as one of the top 15 health systems in the nation in 2012 by Thomson Reuters. This was the second time in four years Prime has been recognized. Also in 2012, five Prime Healthcare hospitals were ranked among the top 100 hospitals in the nation, including Desert Valley, for the sixth time, and West Anaheim Medical Center, for the third time. In addition, eight Prime Healthcare hospitals earned national recognition from The Joint Commission, the leading Medicare accreditation organization in the country. They were ranked among the top 18 percent of more than 3,000 hospitals nationwide.
In 2012, Dr. Reddy was honored with the Boys & Girls Club of Greater San Diego Golden Achievement Award. He was also named one of the 50 Most Powerful Physician Executives in health care in 2012 by Modern Healthcare, the second time in four years.
Throughout his career, Dr. Prem Reddy has been committed to serving the communities in which he works. In 1989, he established the Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization with an initial gift of $1 million. Since that time, he has contributed over $20 million dollars to the Foundation. The Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation serves the health care needs of the High Desert communities in many ways, including a free public health library, a scholarship program for students in the health care field, and the support of other health care related charities. The Victor Valley Community College named their student health clinic, "Dr. Prem Reddy Student and Staff Health Center" and its allied health program, the "Dr. Prem Reddy School of Health Sciences," in honor of his $1 million donation to the program. The Western University of Health Science in Pomona, California, named its largest lecture hall the "Dr. Prem Reddy Lecture Hall," in honor of his many contributions to education in the health care field.
Dr. Reddy also founded the Prime Healthcare Services Foundation, a 501c(3) non-profit public charity, in 2006. The foundation owns five non-profit hospitals: Encino Hospital Medical Center, Huntington Beach Hospital, Knapp Medical Center,Montclair Hospital Medical Center, and Sherman Oaks Hospital. Each of these hospitals was donated to the foundation with no debt and are considered community assets.
Luis Leon, PA-C
Luis Leon, PA-C, serves as President of Operations II of Prime Healthcare Services. Previously, he was the Regional CEO-San Diego, overseeing Alvarado Hospital and Paradise Valley Hospital. During his tenure at Paradise Valley, he was instrumental in bringing stability to the hospital and then allowing it to thrive. In 2009, Paradise Valley was designated as a "Best in Value" hospital by The Delta Group. In 2012, the hospital was nationally recognized as a "Top Performing Hospital" by The Joint Commission.
Luis did his general studies at La Sierra University in Riverside, California. He went on to earn a certificate as a Physician Assistant from University of California, Davis; and an Associate’s Degree in X-ray technology from Loma Linda University.
Luis is Chairman of the Board for 2013 of the California Hospital Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties, member of the Executive Committee for CHA, and maintains memberships with the California Association of Physicians Assistants, the National Association of Physicians Assistants and the California Association of Radiologic Technologists as well as the American Registry of Radiologic Technologies.
He is a native of Cuba, and he and his family emigrated to the United States early in his life. Luis currently resides in Riverside, California with his wife Loyda and their two sons. Both Luis and Loyda are the children of ministers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which has a long tradition of health care service. It is that heritage of service that fuels Luis’ passion for the practice of medicine.
Neerav Jadeja
Neerav Jadeja, Administrator for Paradise Valley Hospital, began his career at Shands Healthcare, which is affiliated with the University of Florida. He spent six years in the Shands Healthcare system, starting as an Administrative Resident and working his way up as the Chief Operating Officer at Shands LakeShore before leaving in 2008. From there he went to Southwest Healthcare System in Murrieta, California where he served as the Chief Operating Officer for Southwest’s Inland Valley and Rancho Springs hospitals. At both Shands and Southwest, Neerav was instrumental in increasing revenue and controlling expenses. “My plan is to ensure that Paradise Valley continues to run efficiently and provide services for our community,” said Neerav. “From there I want to build upon the success that PVH has enjoyed since it has become a Prime Healthcare facility.”
Neerav has spent a majority of his life in Alabama and Florida. He obtained all three of his college degrees at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), beginning with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, and then completing an MBA as well as a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration. Even though UAB is his alma mater, he is a huge fan of the University of Florida Gators from his time at Shands Healthcare.
Neerav has recently relocated to San Diego with his wife, Nishma. They have enjoyed living in southern California for the past three years, and one of their favorite hobbies includes traveling. Neerav is an avid sports fan, and keenly follows football and basketball.
Janet Caceres
Janet Caceres has been an essential part of the leadership at Paradise Valley Hospital since the hospital's turnaround and revitalization by Prime Healthcare Services in 2007. She initially came to Paradise Valley Hospital as part of the transition team during the hospital's sale from Adventist Health to Prime Healthcare Services, and was instrumental in the success of the transition. Janet was so impressed with the business model of Dr. Prem Reddy and his team at Prime, that she accepted the offer to become the permanent Chief Financial Officer for Paradise Valley.
Janet and her two children come to San Diego from Roseburg, Oregon. She has extensive education and experience in finance and health care, having previously worked with Catholic Health Initiatives for eight years at Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg, Oregon. Her 17 years with Adventist Health System--including a number of years at the corporate level round out a full professional life in health care finance.
Janet completed her undergraduate work at Walla Walla College, in Washington State, where she earned a BS in Business Administration. She earned her CPA in 1982 and a MBA at the University of Colorado at Denver in 1995.
At Paradise Valley Hospital, Janet has been an instrumental part of the rejuvenation of the hospital after the transition of ownership. She has made Prime Healthcare's mission to "provide quality health care in a convenient, compassionate and cost-effective manner" her own personal mission and goal for Paradise Valley.
Gemma Rama-Banaag
You can go home again.
When Gemma Rama-Banaag came back to Paradise Valley Hospital in early 2011, she was a familiar face to many PVH employees who remember her when she worked here from 2002 – 2008, first as a Nurse Educator, and then in Business Development as a Nurse Liaison, and finally as the Nurse Manager of the Rehab Care Unit. After a two-year absence, during which she was the Director of Nursing, and then Director of Clinical Services at Promise Hospital in San Diego, she is now back at PVH as our new Chief Nursing Officer.
Gemma has been a nurse for almost her whole life. She started as an ER nurse in the Philippines shortly after she finished her BSN at Philippine Union College in 1987. Since then she has worked as a nurse in Obstetrics, Long Term care, Med/Surg and Rehabilitation in Los Angeles and San Diego. In every facility and unit she has worked in, she has eventually taken on leadership roles: from being a charge nurse, to educator, to program coordinator, to manager, to Director, and finally CNO.
Her distinguished professional career is mirrored in a stellar academic career. The capstone projects for both her MBA and MSN degrees at the University of Phoenix were chosen by the university as best in class projects, and they are both used today as examples to students in those programs.
Gemma somehow finds the time to remain active with the Philippine Nurses Association of San Diego and volunteer at her church. She loves teaching and mentoring, and is an avid golfer and she loves to cook. Gemma is married to her husband Chester, and they have two sons. They currently live in the South Bay in Chula Vista.