Gateways Hospital & Mental Health Centers Foundation
Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Centers Foundation drives community engagement and fundraising to support expanding services to individuals throughout communities in Southern California. The foundation’s community engagement strengthens the services offered to clients, providing opportunities to direct resources supporting clients in after-care and follow-up services that improve medical, mental and behavioral care.
Gateways is dedicated to supporting individuals in living thriving, healthy, and purposeful lives. The Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Centers Foundation provides safe, innovative, and comprehensive care to all, regardless of financial means. Committed to serving Los Angeles’ most vulnerable communities, Gateways ensures that high-quality mental health services remain accessible to those in need.
Gateways is a Safety-net Hospital
Gateways is a safety-net hospital that has provided accessible, comprehensive mental health care services to Southern California for over seventy years.
Gateways is a Teaching Hospital
We are proud of Gateways’ role in shaping the future of mental and behavioral health care. We prepare our trainees using the “Gateways Way” of care—an approach emphasizing compassionate, individualized care with innovative and advanced techniques.
Gateways Serves 1,700 Individuals Annually
Gateways serves an average of 1,700 individuals annually in Southern California, including 525 clients receiving inpatient care.
Your Donations Make a Difference
Through the ongoing support and efforts of the Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Centers Foundation, mental health care access continues to expand for the most vulnerable individuals in urgent need of services. Contributions directly fund essential programs, enabling the delivery of comprehensive care, innovative treatments, and vital community outreach. From supporting new therapy initiatives to maintaining residential facilities, donor contributions create a meaningful and lasting impact. A variety of giving opportunities are available, including naming rights for buildings, programs, and other key initiatives—allowing donors to leave a lasting legacy while strengthening the mental health community.
- $1,000 gives a young person in crisis a full day of life-changing inpatient care, helping them stabilize and begin their healing journey.
- $500 equips teens ages 13–17 with outdoor recreation gear that promotes connection, confidence, and mental wellness.
- $250 supports 90 minutes of one-on-one therapy, helping an adolescent build vital skills for daily life and emotional regulation.
- $100 ensures one residential client receives nourishing meals for a full week, supporting both their physical and mental health.
Ken Agema
Foundation Secretary
Kenneth Agema, with a 40-year tenure in manufacturing leadership and management, has held executive positions in the specialty metals industry and in various not for profit organizations. Now retired, Ken applies his extensive experience in strategic oversight and operational excellence to support Gateways Foundation’s objectives, enhancing mental health services through strong governance.
Jess Beattie
Foundation Board Member
Jess Beattie, with widespread social work leadership experience in acute care hospital settings, brings an understanding of the vulnerable population Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Center Foundation is trying to serve. Jess has a bachelor’s degree in social work from Whittier College and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Howard University in Washington DC. Her role as director of Patient and Family Services at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital puts her on the front lines in supporting patients and their families by addressing the psychosocial aspects of illness and hospitalization, navigating the healthcare system, and ensuring continuity of care.
Dorene Calderone
Foundation Board Member
Before retiring, Dorene Calderone was an educator for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Her various roles included elementary school teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, and Vice Principal. Prior to entering education, Ms Calderone was the Director of Development for four different hospital Foundation Departments – Queen of the Valley Hospital, City of Hope (Corporate Office), Glendale Memorial Hospital and Heart Center and San Pedro Peninsula Hospital. Early in her career, she spent the better part of a decade as the public relations manager at The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). Dorene’s career spans over 35 years in three different industries – Public Relations, Hospital Development, and Education.
Rojean Kashanchi
Foundation Board Member
Rojean Kashanchi is an accomplished public health strategist. As the founder of Frontline Collective, Rojean advises leadership teams while championing community-centered healthcare innovations. Her previous senior roles at SCAN Health Plan and UCLA Health drove new business growth, operational transformation, and scaled global business development programs. Rojean’s public health expertise, complemented by her bachelor’s degree from UCLA and MPH from Columbia University, reinforces Gateways’ mission of delivering inclusive, evidence-based mental health care.
Dr. Farrah Khaleghi Aizenman
Foundation Board Member
Dr. Farrah Khaleghi Aizenman is a clinical psychologist with substantial expertise in serious mental illness and addiction as well as program management. As the founder of her own psychological practice, she previously directed clinical programs at Creative Care, Inc. Her clinical leadership and dedication to advancing psychological care closely align with the Gateways Foundation’s goal of providing innovative, compassionate service.
Natasha Milatovich, Ed. D., MBA, MHRM
Foundation Board Member
Natasha Milovich is a highly accomplished and solutions-oriented Human Resources Executive with multifaceted experience in employee engagement and retention, talent acquisition, training and leadership development resulting in retention of top talent and saving millions of dollars. Natasha has served as Vice President , Human Resources at White Memorial Medical Center, Southern California Regional Vice President and System Human Resources Executive for Adventist Health Systems and now serves Sr. Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer for Altamed Health Services, the largest FQHC in the country.
Russell Smith
Foundation Board Member
Russell Smith brings with him a diversified and unique background in accounting and operations, in start-up, rapid growth and turnaround companies, in both the public and private sectors. As a Business Consultant for the past 20 years, Mr. Smith has provided businesses in numerous industries with financial and operational guidance to help increase profitability, along with identifying and correcting critical weaknesses in internal and operational controls.
Brian W. Thorne
Foundation President
Brian Thorne brings over two decades of leadership in nonprofit development and strategic planning. Currently Chief Development Officer at Gateways Hospital, he previously held executive roles at Providence Health System and Good Samaritan Hospital. Brian’s expertise in fundraising and community engagement is pivotal to advancing Gateways Foundation’s mission of expanding mental health resources for vulnerable populations.
Dr. Phil Wong
Foundation Board Member
Dr. Phil Wong, CEO of Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Centers, has over two decades of experience in clinical psychology, program supervision, and executive leadership. His extensive background as both a clinician and an administrator ensures a holistic, evidence-based approach to mental health care, underpinning the Foundation’s initiatives aimed at excellence in client outcomes and community support.