Borrego Health Names New Chief Medical Officer

BORREGO SPRINGS, CA — A doctor with more than 20 years of clinical and executive experience has been tapped to serve as chief medical officer for Borrego Community Health Foundation (Borrego Health).

News that Kenneth Soda, M.D., MHA (EHML), had been chosen for the role was released Monday by the health care provider. Soda will begin work June 27.

Soda served in a chief medical officer capacity with both Dignity Health-Pacific Central Coast Health Centers Medical Group (Santa Maria, Calif.) and Physician Health Partners, LLC’s Colorado Community Health Alliance Colorado Medicaid Accountable Care Collaborative (Denver, Colo.). He also recently served in physician executive roles with Santa Clara County Health and Hospital System (San Jose, Calif.), according to Borrego Health.

"Borrego Health patients and team members will benefit from Dr. Soda’s strong clinical background and significant experience in both executive and administrative roles,” said Edgar Bulloch, M.D., CEO of Borrego Health. “Specifically, Dr. Soda’s experience with Medi-Cal Whole Person Care and Health First Colorado [Colorado Medicaid] will add value to our mission of supporting Medi-Cal patients and other underserved groups.”

After beginning his career as a family medicine physician near Denver, Colo., Soda moved into clinical faculty and program director roles with Centura Health System’s St. Anthony North Family Medicine Residency Program (Westminster, Colo.), according to the announcement.

“I’m looking forward to being part of Borrego Health’s efforts to provide a medical home and safety net to patients and communities with few or no other options for care,” Soda said. “I was attracted to Borrego Health due to the opportunity to support mission-driven clinicians in bringing compassionate, high-quality care to the people who need it the most. I’m grateful to be joining this team.”

Soda earned his executive master’s degree in healthcare leadership at Brown University and his medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. After earning his medical degree, Soda completed his graduate medical training with the Family Medicine Residency Program at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and went on to an obstetrics fellowship at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, according to Borrego Health.

Bulloch had served as chief medical officer at Borrego Community Health Foundation, but was tapped by the Borrego Health Board of Trustees for an interim CEO position in October 2020. The role was made permanent last year.

Last month, Borrego Health announced it was laying off more than 200 employees in an effort to ensure "the needs of all patients at current clinic locations" are met. In Riverside County, cuts were taking place at Borrego Health clinics in Anza, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Indio, Nuevo, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Riverside, San Jacinto, and Thermal.