High Desert Medical Group, CEO Dr. Richard Merkin Holds 20th Annual Senior Health Expo, Debbie Reynolds Stars at Event.

LANCASTER, Calif., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Richard Merkin, High Desert Medical Group and Heritage Health Care hosted over four thousand seniors at their 20th anniversary annual Senior Expo at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds. Seniors lined up prior to the 9:00 am start, eager to see celebrity Debbie Reynolds perform and get free health screenings and testing including  bone density, cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure, body fat, dental and vision screenings and of course, seasonal flu shots. The theme for this 20th Anniversary Celebration was "On Broadway," and Debbie Reynolds, star of films, TV and Broadway, did not disappoint, singing and interacting with the crowd.

In addition to food, music and plenty of entertainment, healthcare representatives from most of the national healthcare providers and drug companies were on hand to provide answers for seniors with coverage concerns, especially timely since a number of initiatives from the healthcare legislation have already been implemented.

Vilma Drever was named 2010 Senior of the Year for her continued dedication to animal rescue in the communities of Lancaster and Palmdale.  Drever runs the Antelope Valley Dog and Cat rescue, and was thrilled with her honor.

Dr. Merkin spoke to the crowd, "Lancaster and Palmdale- there are no two better cities in the United States to do this.  Both have been so cooperative in our efforts to improve health care in the Valley and they are truly concerned about the health care of their citizens." He further discussed recent trips to Washington DC with seniors to interact with legislators, one on one, letting lawmakers know of the importance of programs that HDMG implements. "Managed, coordinated, accountable health care that is patient doctor centric keeps our seniors healthier, out of the hospital and is cost effective," said Dr. Merkin. "It is critically important to us that we reach out to our lawmakers, and our communities to let everyone know we are responsive to current health care demands with programs and solutions."

"We continue to offer our community our best in medical care to meet their needs," said Dr. Anthony Dulgeroff, Medical Director at HDMG. "This 20th anniversary of our Health Expo signals our commitment to celebrating excellence, giving back to our seniors additional opportunities to follow up on their general health on us and we are delighted to do it."

About High Desert Medical Group (HDMG)

High Desert Medical Group has a long-standing promise to provide residents of the Antelope Valley with the highest quality health care possible. Living up to our promise is an on-going commitment, which necessitates our growth as a multi-specialty medical group providing a wide range of health care services for our patients. For more than 25 years, we've been fortunate to have an impressive team of health care professionals, administrators, support personnel and dedicated volunteers who work in unison to help us deliver on our promise. Together, we partner with local hospitals, medical experts and business leaders, and we actively support numerous organizations, educational, cultural and recreational events. Our team of healthcare professionals is available and ready to help you with all of your medical needs. We accept over 85 different health plans, including HMO, PPO, POS, EPO, Private and Medicare plans. Our Lancaster facility offers the convenience of having your Primary Care Physician, Lab, X-Ray, Urgent Care, Pharmacy, a Health Education Department, Infusion Center, and a multitude of subspecialties all under the same roof.  In addition, our Urgent Care is now open 24 hours a day 7 days a week including holidays. We also have a full service Occupational Medicine Center on-site. www.hdmg.net

Heritage Provider Network, Inc. (HPN) represents the cutting edge of accountable, coordinated, managed, patient-doctor centric, cost effective health care systems offering the future of medicine and health care in the United States. HPN develops programs and services that are responsive to the health care needs of today's patient. HPN designs its networks to offer patients a comprehensive range of medical care in convenient locations.  It organizes and manages medical groups and independent practice associations, which it integrates with hospitals and ancillary care providers to form integrated health care systems that represents a working, successful business model mastering keeping the quality of health care up and the costs down, and has been duplicated with medical groups and IPAs with 25 medical facilities in California and one based in New York, Healthcare Partners IPA.  HPN is comprised of 3,500 primary care physicians, 13,000 specialists and 36 hospitals.  HPN is dedicated to quality, affordable health care and putting patients' wellness first.  www.heritageprovidernetwork.com

SOURCE Heritage Provider Network, Inc.