Dr. Karen Hoffman Tepper

Q: What most notably stands out about your organization as an innovation, opportunity or service that improves or better delivers healthcare to Arizonans?

Terros Health has a passion for helping people and we save lives every day.

Our inspired whole health model of care starts by ensuring access to care for anyone who needs it. We also create a deep connection and sense of belonging with everyone we serve so that they are active participants in their recoveries.

At Terros Health, innovation is at the core of everything we do. When AIDS become an epidemic in the 1980s, we served on the front lines as a national HIV educator, screener and crisis trainer. As our community’s needs evolved, Terros Health has responded with a partnership to provide wellness services to youth, first-of-a-kind Justice Clinics at probation offices, lifesaving Narcan training and dispensing machines and a mobile crisis system lauded nationally for its response time and community stabilization rate.

Our secret weapon is our people, who are united in their desire to help people get well and stay well. This talented workforce knows no bounds in removing barriers to care and advocating for those who suffer in silence. Their passions are to create stronger, healthier communities, children and families, sharing hope, health and healing with people across Arizona.

Q: Tell us about your known style of leadership or philosophy on being a strong leader for your organization. Tell us about a specific program, leadership policy or practice that has directly benefited healthcare outcomes in Arizona.

At Terros Health, our employees have a seat at the table and their voices are critical, as many of them or their families received care from us before joining our team. Having experienced how Terros Health inspires hope, they wholeheartedly embrace our mission.

We create an environment of connection that enables employees to bring their best ideas forward. I help by opening doors, removing barriers and strengthening collaboration so great ideas come to life.

America’s healthcare system is broken, yet I am optimistic because we are uniquely positioned to effect positive change. Our employees routinely solve complex problems that positively impact our communities. For example, Terros Health is one of four providers with Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics in Arizona. This model enables us to wrap a full array of behavioral health services around members of our community, plus offer housing and employment, afterschool tutoring, primary care, pediatrics and other support.

Q: What do you feel a healthy Arizona workforce and families can mean for Arizona’s growth?

In burgeoning communities across Arizona, a healthy workforce is the underpinning of a robust economy. Workers in optimal physical and emotional health are integral to delivering products and services to customers, driving business growth and expansion, and attracting new companies to the state. At the same time, a healthy workforce and healthy families create the fabric of our communities, contributing to our state’s enviable quality of life.

As healthcare providers and business leaders. we must redouble our commitment to Arizona’s workforce by ensuring that quality primary care and mental health services are available to everyone. We also must consider workers’ social determinants of health, including the availability of food, transportation and stable, affordable housing. Finally, we must seize opportunities to implement programs to improve the overall health of our citizens while addressing pressing issues such as the meteoric rise in substance use disorder.

Q: What is on the horizon for your organization?

Terros Health is at a critical juncture, serving more people in more places and providing more services than ever before.

We are currently focused on improving access to a unique blend of employment supports to help individuals in recovery, improve their skills and be engaged in their communities and the workforce in meaningful ways. We believe everyone has an opportunity to make a difference, and, by expanding access to these services, we can watch the entire
community grow.

We are also continuing our focus on delivering services anywhere with continued growth of our mobile health services that go into our communities and offer physical health, mental health, substance use and prevention services to individuals who can’t come to a clinic. We believe that transportation and geography should never be a barrier to care and are working diligently to find new ways to save lives outside of a physical clinic.