meet your new family
the LaVida Care staff is here
for anyone and everyone who needs us
We offer all the services available at SFCHC along with our acceptance, understanding, and support.
Clinical pharmacy specialist Dr. Chris Angara, family nurse practitioner Jenifer Sullivan, and their staff are excited to welcome you into their healthcare family. Not only does the LaVida Care team have years of experience in multiple areas, their diverse backgrounds give them added compassion and understanding.
Dr. Chris
Dr. Christopher Angara, PharmD
Dr. Christopher Angara, a registered pharmacist, serves as HIV Program Manager at San Fernando Community Health Center (SFCHC). Dedicated to providing the highest standard of patient care, he brings extensive experience managing pharmacies that specialize in HIV treatment and prevention.
Prior to joining the SFCHC team, Dr. Angara initiated HIV pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis, adherence, immunization and financial assistance programs as pharmacist in charge. In addition to managing specialty pharmacies, such as Kroger Specialty Pharmacy and Capitol Drugs, he held positions at the Veterans Administration and UCLA Research. He also received training in HIV care at Jeffrey Goodman Specialty Care, known as the LGBT Center in Hollywood, and had multiple research publications.
Dr. Angara earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Western University of Health Sciences and a Bachelor of Science degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from California State University Northridge, where he wrote a research paper on the use of recombinant DNA technology to target the HIV virus for future treatment.
Along with his leadership and dedication to the pharmacy profession, Dr. Angara describes himself as a “foodie” who enjoys traveling and playing volleyball. He is fluent in both English and Tagalog, and proficient in Spanish.
Nurse Practitioner Jen
Jenifer Sullivan, MSN, FNP-C, RNC-OB
Jenifer Sullivan, MSN, FNP-C, RNC-OB, joined the San Fernando Community Health Center (SFCHC) in 2020, bringing her compassionate and caring approach to this patient-centered healthcare home for the community.
Sullivan previously worked in the UCLA Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for more than eight years, and has been practicing family medicine since then. Before becoming part of SFCHC’s provider team, she also worked as a Family Nurse Practitioner for the Joshua Medical Group.
After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from California State University, Northridge, Sullivan earned a Master of Science in Nursing degree from Walden University (based in Minneapolis), graduating with honors from both programs.
A native of Brazil, Sullivan speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese. She enjoys spending time with her family, including her two children, as well as hiking, kayaking and traveling.
Care Coordinator Mathew
Mathew spent many years volunteering for The Wall Las Memorias Project before serving as a Resource Navigator, co-facilitating educational workshops on HIV Prevention and utilizing social media to direct members of the community to resources like HIV Testing/Prevention, STD Testing, and Mental Health Services specifically catered towards queer youth and young adults. Outside of these services, he also co-coordinated events at The Wall Las Memorias that featured drag and musical performances from local queer artists, serving both as a means of outreach as well as highlighting local artists.
His strong love for community is felt in every aspect of his life both professionally and personally. Outside of work, he regularly volunteers and attends queer nightlife events, engaging with the community and oftentimes assisting in the fundraising for various causes that benefit the queer community. Growing up very proud of his culture and identity, he has hopes to eventually expand upon his current work and go into HIV treatment as well as gender-affirming care for trans and non-binary individuals and hopes to create more spaces in nightlife with a focus on the safety, security, and affirmation of trans and non-binary individuals and BIPOC. He describes himself as an outgoing creative and enjoys thrift shopping, horror movie marathons, as well as being involved in queer nightlife.