Albert Arteaga was born in San Diego, California, and being the son of a Seventh-Day Adventist minister, he spent his childhood years in various Southern California locations. He remembers fondly his first years of elementary school in La Sierra, where he attended grades one to four. That was the longest single block of time with a home in one place.

Education was always a priority with his parents, in the form of selected reading material as well as in the example of his father who, at a young age, left his traditional home in the state of Michoacan, Mexico, to study at the Adventist College in Montemorelos.

Another lasting impression for Albert came from his years as an adolescent when his father was sent as a missionary to Argentina. From that, Dr. Arteaga says: “I was left with a love of empanadas de carne, soccer, and using the Spanish language for its gift for description and double meaning.” He spent his college years learning at Andrews University and La Sierra College. He took his medical school training at Universidad LaSalle in Mexico City.

“When I opened my practice in America,” says Dr. Arteaga, “I knew that Hispanic people with roots in Mexico and Central and South America would be familiar with the LaSalle name because there were so many colleges with that name. It was a way to subtly let people know that we were ready to serve Hispanics without shouting about it.”

After graduating in 1976, he interned for four and a half years, spending one year of mandatory social service, and two more in northern Mexico. His experience repeated a cycle of family history and he met a nice young nurse who later became Mrs. Arteaga.

In 1984, after completing a pediatric residency program at Loma Linda University Medical Center, he opened a solo practice in the city of Fontana. His caring reputation grew the clientele and soon the practice added doctors and eventually more locations, resulting in the present number of six clinics in the Inland Empire. Albert and his wife Maria saw only two patients on their first day in business (June 13, 1984) and now patient visits average up to 100,000 per year.

Dr. Arteaga formed the LaSalle Independent Practice Association (IPA) in 1996 and has grown it steadily since then. In 2001 White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles awarded its managed care contract to LaSalle Medical Associates. In 2008 LaSalle expanded into California’s Central Valley.

One of the accomplishments LaSalle Medical Associates feels the most pride in is its participation in the Healthy Families program sponsored by California and the federal government. LaSalle has championed this program and today LaSalle has enrolled up to 100,000 children.

Looking back over the years since opening the first clinic, Albert sums up his mission: “I wanted everyone to feel that going to the doctor was no more intimidating than going to the grocery store, and I guess by now some of my clients have bought into the idea.” The secret to making it happen is perseverance, pride, and teamwork, “I would not have had a chance without an education, and I would not be here without the support of my wife and the management team that supports our vision.”

In 2012 Dr. Albert Arteaga was selected as California’s first Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Childhood Immunization Champion. He is one of only 39 people across the country to receive this prestigious honor.

The award recognizes advocates who work to make sure children are protected by immunizations. Nominations for the award are open to one individual from each state. Already, LaSalle’s clinics boast a 91 percent influenza immunization coverage rate among its staff and medical associates, which serves as an example for its patients.