TrueCare

What TrueCare does

TrueCare, legally North County Health Project, Inc., is a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) founded in 1971 and headquartered in San Marcos, California. The organization operates 27 health centers and WIC locations across North San Diego and Riverside counties, serving nearly 70,000 patients annually, primarily low-income, uninsured, and underinsured populations. Service lines include primary care, QuickCare walk-in urgent care, behavioral health (including the standalone Richmar Behavioral Health center opened in 2025), pediatric care, women's health, dental, mobile wellness, Street Medicine for individuals experiencing homelessness, telehealth/virtual visits, acupuncture, chiropractic, cardiology, podiatry, HIV/AIDS case management, on-site pharmacy, lab and X-ray, transportation assistance, health insurance enrollment, and WIC nutrition programs.

The underlying technology stack centers on the OCHIN Epic-based electronic health record and MyChart patient portal, which supports appointment management, provider messaging, prescription refills, and mobile access on iOS and Android. Clinical operations are complemented by conventional telehealth video and phone infrastructure; no proprietary AI/ML capabilities, patents, or in-house models are disclosed. TrueCare participates in OCHIN's organized healthcare arrangements, enabling health information exchange with other member health centers for care coordination purposes.

TrueCare's business model is the standard FQHC reimbursement model, combining patient services revenue billed to Medi-Cal, Medicare, and commercial insurance with a sliding-scale fee schedule based on income and family size. Revenue is supplemented by federal grants (notably a $2 million HHS grant in 2023 for the doula program, making TrueCare the only Southern California recipient) and philanthropic donations. Leadership comprises President and CEO Michelle D. González (promoted from within since 2003), CFO Cheryl Petersen (San Diego Business Journal 2025 CFO of the Year for nonprofits), and Marie Russell, MD, serving as Medical Director and Chief Operations Officer. The organization is governed as an independent nonprofit with no parent company or external institutional ownership.

Name

TrueCare

Legal name

North County Health Project, Inc.

Website

https://truecare.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

TrueCare is a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center operating 27 clinics across North San Diego and Riverside counties, serving nearly 70,000 low-income, uninsured, and underinsured patients annually through primary, specialty, behavioral, dental, and maternal health services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health Services

NAICS

Ambulatory Health Care Services (621), All Other Outpatient Care Centers (621498)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent Primary Care Practices (HLAFAGAA)

Keywords

• Community health services
• Primary care clinics
• Behavioral health services
• Telehealth telemedicine
• Women's health programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Marcos

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Patient Services Revenue: Revenue from providing healthcare services to patients, billed to patients directly, insurance companies including Medi-Cal, Medicare, and commercial insurance plans. FQHC reimbursement model.
2. Government Grants: Federal grants from agencies such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to fund specific programs like the doula program for maternal health.
3. Donations and Philanthropy: Voluntary donations from individuals and organizations to support TrueCare's mission of providing healthcare to underserved communities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TrueCare is a Federally Qualified Health Center that delivers comprehensive primary, preventive, urgent, specialty, behavioral, dental, women's health, pediatric, and pharmacy services to patients across 27 health center locations in Southern California. Services are complemented by telehealth, mobile wellness, street medicine, and support programs such as WIC, transportation assistance, and insurance enrollment. Care is provided regardless of ability to pay using a sliding-scale fee schedule.

Product overview

TrueCare is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) offering a comprehensive, integrated healthcare platform serving California's San Diego and Riverside counties through 27 health center locations. The core platform provides primary care and preventive services, supported by a network of specialty services including behavioral health, dental, women's health, and pediatric care. TrueCare's portfolio includes urgent care alternatives (QuickCare), telehealth (Virtual Health), mobile healthcare delivery (Mobile Wellness, Street Medicine), and specialty programs like Doula Services funded by a $2 million HHS grant. Additional support services include on-site pharmacies, diagnostic labs, transportation, insurance enrollment assistance, and WIC programs. The organization serves nearly 70,000 patients annually, with a focus on low-income, uninsured, and underserved populations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Primary Care Comprehensive primary care services providing preventive care, diagnosis, and treatment for patients of all ages, delivered through TrueCare's network of health centers.
• QuickCare Same-day appointment and walk-in clinic offering an urgent care alternative for minor injuries and illnesses at multiple locations including Oceanside, Rancho Santa Fe, San Marcos, and Vista Way.
• Behavioral Health
• Pediatric Care Pediatric services for children from birth through adolescence up to age 21, focusing on developmental milestones, wellness checkups, and preventive care.
• Women's Health Women's health services including prenatal care, obstetrics, family planning, gynecological exams, mammograms, and postpartum support at dedicated women's health campuses.
• Dental Care Dental services including preventive, restorative, and maintenance care for patients of all ages at dedicated dental locations.
• Virtual Health (Telehealth) Telemedicine services providing video or phone consultations with providers for diagnosis and treatment of minor conditions.
• Acupuncture Natural, proven treatment for pain relief using ultra-thin sterile needles at meridian points, covered by most insurance plans including Medi-Cal and select Medicare supplemental and commercial plans.
• Chiropractic Care Non-invasive, drug-free spinal adjustments and treatments to relieve pain, restore health, and improve mobility, available at Vista Way and San Marcos locations.
• Cardiology Specialized cardiac care including diagnosis, treatment, heart disease prevention, hypertension management, cardiac rehabilitation, and arrhythmia treatment.
• Pharmacy On-site pharmacy services at San Marcos and Oceanside locations, dispensing generic medications and providing medication counseling.
• Lab and X-Ray Diagnostic laboratory testing and imaging services for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning.
• Mobile Wellness Mobile health services bringing care directly to communities through a mobile health unit.
• Street Medicine Healthcare services provided directly to individuals experiencing homelessness, bringing compassionate and personalized care to where they are.
• Doula Services Low-cost or free doula services for prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum support, funded by a $2 million HHS grant to reduce maternal mortality and disparities among women of color.
• WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Nutrition assistance program for pregnant women, new mothers, and children under 5, providing food vouchers and nutritional support at multiple locations.
• HIV/AIDS Case Management Case management services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS, providing comprehensive support and care coordination.
• Older Adult Health Services Specialized healthcare services designed for seniors, addressing age-related health concerns and chronic disease management.
• Transportation Services Transportation assistance to help patients get to their medical appointments at TrueCare facilities.
• Health Insurance Enrollment Assistance Enrollment assistance helping uninsured and underinsured patients sign up for health insurance coverage.
• Podiatry Podiatric care focused on foot and ankle health, available as part of TrueCare's specialty service line.
• Lifestyle Medicine Lifestyle medicine services supporting preventive health and chronic disease management through lifestyle-based interventions.
• MyChart Patient Portal Secure patient portal allowing patients to manage appointments, communicate with providers, view visit summaries, request prescription refills, and access health records, available via web and mobile apps (iOS and Android).

Quantifiable outcome

• Doula services reduce cesarean rates by 50%, reduce epidural requests by 60%, and improve APGAR scores for babies

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Blue ZonescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2026Partnership in Blue Zones Ignite initiative with the City of San Marcos to conduct a citywide assessment and develop a well-being transformation plan. Blue Zones will assess the city's readiness and create a policy-focused plan aimed at reducing obesity and smoking rates, lowering healthcare costs, and boosting economic vitality.
• Gary and Mary West PACEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2026Partnership in Blue Zones Ignite initiative with City of San Marcos, Blue Zones, and TrueCare to improve well-being of San Marcos residents through a comprehensive citywide assessment and health transformation plan.
• City of San MarcoscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2026City government partnership leading the Blue Zones Ignite initiative, a well-being program aimed at helping residents live healthier, longer lives through policy-focused transformation.
• OCHINcoreTechnology or IntegrationTrueCare participates in OCHIN organized healthcare arrangements as a member health center. OCHIN provides information technology and related services, coordinates clinical review activities, establishes best practice standards, and helps improve management of patient referrals. TrueCare's PHI may be shared with other OCHIN Member Health Centers for healthcare operations purposes.
• U.S. Senator Adam SchiffminorOthersFederal legislator who visited TrueCare for a press conference to emphasize the importance of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits for maintaining healthcare affordability and stability in California.
• U.S. Congressman Mike LevinminorOthersFederal legislator who visited TrueCare for a press conference with Senator Schiff to discuss healthcare policy and the importance of maintaining affordable healthcare coverage.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Family Health Centers of San Diego: Largest FQHC in San Diego County operating dozens of clinic sites across the same service area as TrueCare, offering an overlapping comprehensive primary care, behavioral health, dental, and specialty services portfolio to similar underserved Medi-Cal populations.
• San Ysidro Health: Federally Qualified Health Center serving San Diego County's southern communities with primary care, pediatrics, women's health, behavioral health, and dental services — directly comparable in mission, funding model, and patient demographic to TrueCare.
• Neighborhood Healthcare: Multi-site FQHC operating across San Diego and Riverside counties (overlapping TrueCare's footprint) with primary care, behavioral health, dental, and women's health services targeting underserved communities.
• Vista Community Clinic: FQHC based in Vista, CA serving North San Diego County with primary care, dental, behavioral health, and WIC services — operating in the same geographic catchment and patient demographic as TrueCare.
• La Maestra Community Health Centers: San Diego-based FQHC providing primary care, dental, behavioral health, and social services to low-income, largely immigrant populations — overlapping TrueCare's mission and Medi-Cal patient base.
• Clinicas del Camino Real: Ventura County FQHC network with multiple health centers providing primary care, dental, and women's health to underserved populations — comparable FQHC operating model and patient mix.
• Golden Valley Health Centers: Large California FQHC operating 40+ clinic sites across Merced, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin counties with comprehensive primary care, dental, and behavioral health services targeting Medi-Cal and uninsured patients.
• Borrego Health: Southern California FQHC (formerly one of the largest in the state) operating multiple clinic sites with primary care, women's health, and dental services — directly comparable FQHC model though currently in significant financial and operational restructuring.

Emerging players

• Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest: Regional nonprofit providing reproductive and women's health services including prenatal care, contraception, and STI treatment — comparable in women's health and community-based service delivery to TrueCare's women's health and doula programs.

Broad incumbents

• Sharp HealthCare: Large integrated regional health system serving San Diego County with hospitals, outpatient clinics, and health plans — overlapping TrueCare's service area but operating at much larger scale with broader commercial-payor mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/healthtruecare
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UClN83htaiuzCzfzdikXPCTw
• Facebookfacebook.com/healthtruecare
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-county-health-services
• Instagraminstagram.com/truecare.health

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TrueCare