If you are newly enrolled at DAP Health, Lupe is the clinician you’ll see for your initial appointment. As the annual wellness visit physician assistant in the medical clinic, she is also responsible for helping patients in our walk-in clinic.

Lupe has been a physician assistant in urgent care for six years.  She comes to DAP Health from Carbon Health in La Quinta.  A graduate of Stanford University School of Medicine, Lupe is a certified substance abuse counselor and pain educator. Her experience includes positions in pain management, family practice, and addiction and treatment.

It was during her work as a counselor in the early 90s at San Francisco General Hospital’s Ward 86, the pioneering HIV/AIDS clinic, that set her on the course to becoming a physician assistant.  Now that she’s at DAP Health, she feels that she’s come full circle.

Lupe believes the key to good patient care is communication.  For her, listening is the first step in establishing a trusting relationship.  She also provides clients with information. “I tend to give a lot of information and print out instructions and answer questions because if patients don't understand what I'm talking about, they're not going to follow instructions if they don't know why it's important.”

Lupe is passionate about her family. When not at DAP Health, she spends her time with her two boys, ages nine and ten.  The family loves to travel and recently took up kayaking. Everything right now is about the boys and educating them, be it in school or on vacation.

An Army veteran, Lupe credits the military with teaching her discipline as well as the importance of communication, no matter the circumstances – two important skills that have informed her practice and made her a compassionate, effective medical professional.  A poster in her office is a reminder to her patients about taking care of themselves. It reads: No one ever dies wishing they'd spent more time at the office.

“I tell my patients that all the time when they are worried about work. At the end of life, you're not going to be like, oh man, I wish I would've gone in when I was sick.”

DAP Health clinicians, including Lupe, provide the latest HIV/AIDS treatments in a safe, judgement free environment. They are skilled in working with LGBTQ+ individuals to craft treatments that work and enhance their patients' quality of life. Services includes HIV testing; STI screening; linkage to care; HIV medications, including antiretrovirals, PEP and PrEP; patient education; mental health services; dental services; and more.