After decades of transforming healthcare access across San Diego, San Ysidro Health President and CEO Kevin Mattson is preparing for his next chapter. As an active ACH board leader and recipient of the 2026 David B. Vliet Changemaker Award Trailblazer, Kevin leaves behind a legacy of innovation, vision, and commitment to community. We recently talked with Kevin to reflect on his health center career, his advice for emerging leaders, and what retirement has in store.
ACH: Reflecting on your career at San Ysidro, what programs or breakthroughs are you most proud of?
KM: There are so many things that have occurred during my time at San Ysidro Health (SYH) to be proud of. One of my proudest service expansions has been San Ysidro Health’s Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). We celebrated our 11th year of operations in 2026 and, over that time, have grown to one of the largest programs in the country, currently serving over 3,300 participants in five PACE sites. In addition, our expansion to become an Internal Medicine Teaching Health Center program to help train more internal medicine physicians to work with our aging patient population has just graduated our third class of internal medicine physicians. Finally, our board has supported investment in our staff, committing to a $25 per hour minimum wage in 2025, as well as implementing matching retirement contributions to our 403b program during my tenure as President & CEO.
What would you most like communities and lawmakers to know about San Ysidro Health?
Over the years, San Ysidro Health has become the safety net to several clinics and operations serving the underserved population. We have completed multiple mergers and acquisitions to clinics that were struggling to compete and remain financially viable. This has been done collaboratively with the new communities to ensure representation from these organizations is included in our governance and organizational planning. This has allowed San Ysidro Health to become a much more diverse organization for our patients and staff while expanding our mission of improving the health and wellbeing of the communities we serve with access for all.
If you had one message or lesson to share with the next generation of community health center leaders, what would it be?
Don’t be afraid to take risks. Identify the challenges and pain points and monitor progress. Invest in your good decisions. Bad decisions will be identified quickly and either course-corrected or terminated. The most difficult and expensive strategies are the ones that almost work. Be prepared, as these are the most difficult.
After an amazing career, what’s next on the horizon for you?
I have been working consistently since graduating from college in 1982, and I am ready to take some time off to relax and enjoy time with my family. I have been blessed recently with my first granddaughter, Olivia, and I hope to spend some time spoiling her and watching her grow. I look forward to traveling with my wife and exploring new places. Finally, I hope to play as much golf as my back will allow.