SANTA YNEZ TRIBAL HEALTH CLINIC ADDS OPTOMETRY SERVICES
SANTA YNEZ, CA – October 2, 2023 – The Santa Ynez Tribal Health Clinic (SYTHC), the state-of-the-art facility on the Santa Ynez Reservation, has announced that it has added optometry services to its current offerings of medical, dental, chiropractic, behavioral health and community and social services for Chumash Community Members and the greater community.
Dr. Daniel Christensen, OD, will begin seeing patients in the first week of October. A California Board of Optometry registered provider, Dr. Christensen most recently offered his services to patients at Kendall-Shepard Eye Center in Lompoc. The move to SYTHC brings him back to working at a tribal-run health facility – Dr. Christenson has worked for the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma and with the Pueblo tribal communities during his time at the Santa Fe Indian Hospital in New Mexico.
“Establishing optometry services at the clinic has been a key part of our five-year strategic plan,” said Richard Matens, Chief Health Officer for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “We are thrilled to announce that the Santa Ynez Tribal Health Clinic will start offering optometry services to our patients and we offer a warm welcome to Dr. Daniel Christensen.”
In addition to Dr. Christensen’s dedication to patient care, he is a published author. His work can be seen in Healio’s Primary Care Optometry News, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology’s journal and at the American Academy of Optometry’s annual meeting. Dr. Christensen also reviews continuing education for the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry.
SYTHC accommodates more than 20,000 patient visits per year with an active patient population of over 7,400 and employs 70 team members.
SYTHC is located on the Santa Ynez Reservation at 90 Via Juana Lane in Santa Ynez. The staff specializes in the highest standards of quality health care through modern medicine and cultural traditions. While the clinic’s comprehensive medical, dental and behavioral health services are available to Chumash Community Members, the clinic also treats non-native patients of diverse ethnic backgrounds with unique needs. The facility accepts Medicare, Medi-Cal and most major insurance plans.
The clinic is a not-for-profit organization under the Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) guidelines and receives funding through various grants, including grants from the Indian Health Services (IHS). The clinic has achieved mature contractor status with IHS and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and is certified as an FQHC look-a-like Medi-Cal/Medicare facility.
For more information, contact SYTHC at 805-688-7070 or log on to www.sythc.org.