MCHC Health Centers welcomes Dr. Amit Mehta
After working as a hospitalist in Willits for the past two years, board-certified internal medicine physician Dr. Amit Mehta has joined MCHC Health Centers in Ukiah as a primary care physician and is currently accepting new patients. He is pleased to move into prevention and outpatient care where he can build long-term relationships with patients.
MCHC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jerry Douglas said, “We’re so pleased Dr. Mehta decided to shift from hospital care into our part of the continuum of care—primary care. His hospital experience gives him a great perspective, and his dedication to understanding the causes of patients’ underlying conditions makes him a wonderful fit for our organization.”
Often, by the time patients require hospital care, they have been experiencing the negative effects of chronic medical conditions for months or even years. In the hospital, Mehta saw patients with high blood pressure, obesity, uncontrolled diabetes, substance use disorder, and other conditions that led to serious complications. After he cared for them, many asked if
they could see him for follow-up care, but he did not have an outpatient practice. Now he does. In fact, he will spend all of his professional time and energy in an outpatient setting.
His approach to medicine is both practical and deeply compassionate. He works with patients to help them become more attuned to their bodies and to the social and emotional influences that can lead to unhealthy behaviors. He appreciates MCHC Health Centers’ integrated approach to healthcare, where medical and behavioral health professionals work collaboratively to serve their patients.
The messages Mehta receives from patients speak to the way he makes them feel.
—Dr. Mehta treated me with kindness, compassion and above-and-beyond professionalism…he did not stop until he found what was wrong with me and even stayed late to help make sure I got needed treatment.
—Dr. Mehta listened to me and trusted me to know my body, and he celebrated with me when I began to recover.
—Thank you to Dr. Mehta, whose kindness, compassion and badass doctor skills got me back on my feet.
In meeting a doctor as dedicated as Mehta, you might assume he always wanted to be a doctor. Not so in this case. If not for his mother, Mehta would never have entered this profession he loves. In New Delhi, the capital of India and Dr. Mehta’s hometown, high school students take exams after their sophomore year to determine which career options will be available to them. Mehta scored at the highest level, opening the door to medicine, and although he had planned to become an engineer like his father, his mother strongly encouraged him to become a doctor.
Now, he says he cannot imagine doing anything else. He graduated from one of the most well-re
spected medical schools in India, Kasturba Medical College in Manipal, during which he spent a year at Baylor University on scholarship. After this introduction to the United States, he decided to pursue an internal medicine residency at Michigan State University, completing it in 2015.
Internal medicine is one of three specialties that deliver primary care. The other two are pediatrics and family medicine. Internal medicine is a specialty dedicated to diagnosing and treating adult patients; pediatrics is a specialty dedicated to diagnosing and treating children.
Family medicine is a specialty that treats people of all ages. Internal medicine physicians often care for patients with complex medical problems, including adults with multiple diagnoses.
Both Mehta and his wife, a dentist, enjoy working in healthcare and are pleased to call Mendocino County their home. When Mehta is not caring for patients, he enjoys spending time with his wife and their 6-yearold son, playing music, and exploring his passion for photography.
Mehta joins a dedicated team of professionals at MCHC Health Centers, which provides comprehensive health services including primary medical care, pediatrics, dentistry, women’s health, obstetrical care, counseling, psychiatry, and specialty care, and looks forward to growing to meet the ever-expanding needs of the communities it serves.
MCHC Health Centers includes Hillside Health Center and Dora Street Health Center in Ukiah, Little Lake Health Center in Willits and Lakeview Health Center in Lakeport. Learn more at www. mchcinc.org.