Couple’s donation a boost to Poway health center

A Poway couple’s donation has allowed a nonprofit to purchase a $1.2 million parcel on Poway Road to build a health care center.

Neighborhood Healthcare, an organization that serves the underinsured and those without medical insurance had some of the funding for the center but not all — until now.

Debbie and Alan Gold of Poway have stepped forward with what officials call a “significant” donation, though the exact amount, at the Gold’s request, is being kept confidential.

The Golds have asked that the center be named after Alan’s late parents, Martin and Delia Gold.

The proposed 8,500-square-foot, one-story center will be built at 13010 Poway Road, where a Wendy’s Restaurant once stood. The restaurant burned down more than six years ago and the lot has been vacant since.

A capital campaign to raise money to build the center will begin this fall, but the exact amount needed for the endeavor has yet to be determined, said the nonprofit’s CEO Tracy Ream.

Preliminary plans for the new center have already been submitted to the City of Poway, she added.

Poway is one of the only areas in San Diego without a community health center, according to Ream, whose organization has facilities in San Diego and Riverside counties.

A survey distributed to area residents last year indicated that the community wanted a health care center.

Martin and Delia Gold moved to Poway in 1960 and served the community during their 50 years as residents, said Alan Gold.

Martin Gold worked in the aerospace and defense industry as an engineer for Conic Corporation. He served on various Cub and Boy Scout committees in Poway, while his wife showed compassion for migrant workers.

Their grown children also include Dr. Mark Gold, a local plastic surgeon and Sandra Nooe, who works for the County of San Diego in Child Protective Services.

“My earliest memories of my mom were that she was frequently asked to help find work for people and if there was no work, she gave them food,” said their eldest son, Mark.

Alan Gold added, “Through the years, our parents promoted the importance of good health and encouraged us to give back to our community.”

Debbie and Alan Gold agree that a large population of workers and residents need the kind of service that Neighborhood Healthcare provides, adding that people need to have access to such care in Poway.

Ream suggests that the need for such a center has increased because of the economic times — lost jobs and increased healthcare fees.

While the nation might be getting a vastly revised health care system sometime in the future, there will still be a need for quality, primary care for low-income individuals and families, Ream said.

“We provide that at our facilities,” she said. “We’ve had a change in philosophy about calling ourselves clinics, but health care centers instead.”

“The whole goal is to keep people healthy,” Ream added. “We serve any income level without differentiation.”

“San Diego County does not operate clinics or a county hospital and relies on private nonprofits such as Neighborhood Healthcare to serve as the safety net for the under- or uninsured,” Ream added.