Anyone familiar with Karen Fordham from when she was President and CEO of Venice Regional Bayfront Hospital (ShorePoint Health) knows that she is an accomplished healthcare executive who genuinely wants to deliver the best care possible to patients. And that’s just what she’s doing now as Chief Operating Officer for the multispecialty medical group AMA Health Providers, LLC.
Karen explains that when ShorePoint closed in October 2022, she realized there could be a large void and/or delay in care for patients in Venice and its surrounding communities. Luckily, AMA Health Providers was already building a medical practice to serve the Venice community. “We started conversations with ShorePoint’s specialists, knowing some of had just moved their families here,” says Karen.
“As a healthcare administrator for two decades I know that the one of the most important things I have is my word. My strength lies in building trusting relationships,” she adds.
When AMA Health Providers opened on March 6, 2023 - exactly 17 years to the day from opening its first clinic in Arcadia - Karen knew the clinic would provide Venice with the same quality medical care it delivers to surrounding communities. AMA’s new Venice location will include specialty services such as gastroenterology, cardiology, pulmonary, general surgery, podiatry, and endocrinology.
Even better, “local patients could continue to see their own provider and in their own backyard,” says Karen.
