Evara Health, formerly Community Health Centers of Pinellas, was founded in 1980 as the vision of Dr. Johnnie Ruth Clarke. JRC was the first African American woman to obtain her PhD from the University of Floridas College of Education.Dr. Clarke was a civil rights activist and a pioneer in the fight against sickle cell anemia. Her activism also established modern medical services for the under served African-American residents of St. Petersburg.
Determined to continue her work, we opened our first of many health centers in 1985, on the grounds of the Lakeview Presbyterian Church as the Johnnie Ruth Clarke (JRC) Health Center. We soon outgrew our space and relocated within the historic Mercy Hospital located in St. Petersburg. Transformed into a state-of-the-art facility, we opened its doors to patients on February 2, 2004.
More than 40 years later, we are still a not-for-profit health care organization, and we still provide affordable, primary health care services to the underserved, low-income, uninsured, and underinsured communities across Pinellas County.
Evara, pronounced eh-ver-ah, has roots in the wordsevery and everlasting, signifying the trust we build inevery relationship that runs strong for generations. Ourname symbolizes what we strive to be, a lifelong medicalpartner through every moment of the health journey.
We believe your health is more than our passion serving you is more than a moment. Its amovement rooted in a rich history of equality,leadership, and teamwork to forever change thestories within our community. Our team cares about every person as much as family. Youcan feel the warmth when you walk through ourdoors. Its in the way that we celebrate with patientsover successes, and how our support gives strengthduring hardships.
Our services are comprehensive, and our integrated approach helps us to eliminate care gaps. As we continue to grow and expand, Evara Health will stand behind our promise to nurture stronger communities withexceptional, compassionate care one patient,one family and one neighborhood at a time.
Ms. Dorso has over 24 years of experience in health care administration, specializing in operations and leadership. 21 of these years have been spent in the Community Health Center world, during which time she became proficient in operations maximization and organizational functions proficiency.
Ms. Dorso has participated in and led strategic planning sessions resulting in growth analysis and business service development. Overseeing operations has allowed to her create partnerships with external hospital and health care partners, develop staff succession and career advancement plans, be instrumental in EHR implementation, and maintain regulatory compliance.
She is currently serving as CEO and President of Evara Health with plans of continued growth for the organization. In addition to her employment, Ms. Dorso has been active on the local, state, and national Community Health Center movement. Currently, Ms. Dorso serves on the Board of Directors for Florida Association of Community Health Centers and serves as the Secretary for the Board of Directors for Health Choice Network, a Health Center Controlled Network that is a national model for effective collaboration among health care partners. Ms. Dorso holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of South Florida and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from St. Leo University.
Kim Schuknecht has 30 years of experience in Senior Leadership roles, including 22 years in the financial industry and 14 years in the Community Health Center arena. She managed a team of 220 employees in the banking industry as a Regional Sales Manager, elevating her team to the top 3% of performers within the organization nationwide. She then, after spending 6 years as a board member for a central Florida health center, was recruited into the CEO role for the health center, spending 6 years as their leader. She is currently serving as a Chief Operating Officer and Compliance Officer for Evara Health, responsible for the oversite of operations and the Corporate Compliance Program.
Dr. Nichelle Threadgill has practiced pediatrics in St. Petersburg, FL for more than 20 years. Initially she practiced in private practice, and in 2008 she began practicing at Community Health Centers of Pinellas. Dr. Threadgill was promoted to Chief Medical Officer at Evara Health in 2016 where she currently oversees over 80 physicians, dentists, mid-level practitioners and medial ancillary services.
Dr. Threadgill earned her bachelors degree in biology at Fisk University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She then attended Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC earning her Doctorate of Medicine. Upon completion of medical school, she completed an internship and residency in Pediatrics at the University of Florida Health Science Center in Jacksonville, FL.
During her tenure as CMO, Dr. Threadgill has worked to ensure a high level of quality standards and care delivery at Evara. Throughout her tenure, Evara Health has been recognized as a national quality leader by HRSA, the organization has obtained NCQA level 3 designation, and Evara has been accredited by AAAHC as a Patient Centered Medical and Dental Home. Dr. Threadgill is passionate about preventative care for all those we serve, leading the way to make our patients and community healthier.
Mr. Gilbert joined the Evara Health team in October 2016. His experience includes 15 years of healthcare finance executive management. Prior to joining Evara, he served as the CFO for Palms of Pasadena Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. Mr. Gilberts experience also includes financial management in the healthcare spectrum, including Home Health, Pharmacy, and Hospital and Physician practice management. Mr. Gilbert earned his degree in Finance at the University of South Florida in 2001.
Mr. Rubin has over 30 years of experience in information technology operations and management, including over 17 years specifically in healthcare IT. He managed information technology operations for companies in the retail, technology, telecommunications, government, and education industries.
As Chief Technology Officer, he managed the technical infrastructure for a large hospital system, including the complete replacement of the network infrastructure, build-out of a new consolidated data center and replacement of multiple clinical systems with a single EHR suite. He also Co-Chaired the Technical Solutions Group designing the architecture for a statewide Health Information Exchange under a federal AHRQ grant for the State of Rhode Island and was Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of OSHEAN (a non-profit technology consortium of healthcare and higher education institutions).
More recently he developed and implemented the information technology strategy for a start-up organization building and managing proton beam radiation therapy clinics across the United States. He implemented many innovative solutions working closely with numerous domestic and international partners, including some of the largest and most prestigious healthcare systems in the country. Mr. Rubin has been a long-standing member of the Health Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS) and has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Mr. Kucher joined Evara Health in February 2017 as VP of Business Development. In February 2018 he assumed his duties as CRO. Mr. Kucher was born in Kiev, Ukraine and has lived in Florida for over 25 years. He has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Economic Analysis from Kiev Trade and Economic University, a bachelors degree in Accounting and a Master of Accounting from University of South Florida.
He has a background in C-Suite level medical financial and operations management with 20 years experience in multi-site and multi-specialty medical practice. He has experience as an industry specialist with knowledge in successfully creating and expanding healthcare operations, and a strong history in aggressively seeking out and capitalizing on opportunities to increase the reach of medical services and reduce the cost of service. Mr. Kucher is dedicated to improving the quality of medical care.