Access to Care is Lifesaving: How Dr. Nilem Patel Delivers Compassionate Diabetes Care to Medi-Cal Patients

Adventist Health White Memorial hospital knows that access to healthy food and quality healthcare are things many of us take for granted. Many of our patients in Los Angeles living with diabetes require a healthy diet to manage their condition and quality healthcare coverage to properly understand and treat their condition.

The California Department of Public Health states that diabetes is the eighth leading cause of death in California. In 2021, 3.2 million (about 1 out of every 9) adults in California had diabetes, with an additional 5.9 million diagnosed as pre-diabetic. These numbers stress the need that Medi-Cal patients have for access to healthcare professionals who can help diagnose and treat diabetes in its infancy.

Dr. Nilem Patel, an endocrinology specialist at our hospital, understands this is a desperate situation for her patients. "Many of my patients rely on Medi-Cal for access to essential healthcare services,” says Patel. “It plays a critical role in ensuring that families, children, and seniors in our community receive the care they need—whether it’s preventive check-ups, chronic disease management, or emergency services."

Dr. Patel provides expert diabetes care for hundreds of patients each year, many of whom are covered by Medi-Cal. For her, Medi-Cal is more than just an insurance program; it's a lifeline for individuals and families navigating chronic illnesses without the resources to pay out-of-pocket.

Dr. Patel’s commitment to whole-person care is what led her to become the inspiration behind our Community Resource Center food pantry at the hospital. She first realized the gravity of food insecurity’s impact on diabetes in 2017 while treating a telehealth patient in Northern California. The patient’s diabetes was poorly controlled, not due to lack of effort, but simply because they couldn’t afford enough food to follow a healthy diet.

Shocked that hunger could derail care in a country of abundance, Dr. Patel partnered with that patient’s clinic to launch a small pantry for low-income patients. It sparked a deeper mission: to bring the same model to her home clinic in Boyle Heights.

Today, thanks to Dr. Patel's vision and hands-on involvement, the food pantry continues to serve patients facing food insecurity as well as those managing diabetes under her care. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, she ensured the pantry stayed open, coordinating with volunteers and staff to deliver food directly to those in need.

Dr. Patel’s work reflects the critical intersection of clinical expertise and social support. Without programs like Medi-Cal and the infrastructure to deliver both medical care and basic resources like food, patients with diabetes face significant barriers to effective disease management.