Physician Assistant Alicia Conway has a simple message for her patients: “We’re going to grow old together.”
That commitment to a lifetime of care has garnered Conway the 2026 Woman of Distinction Award for Stanislaus County.
State Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil was on hand at Kind Clinic – 3650 Geer Road – on Tuesday to deliver the official proclamation.
“This was a surprise to me,” said Conway, who was nominated by colleague Alex David, PA. “For Alex to say that I’ve impacted his career means a lot. We tend to be hard on ourselves, because we think we’re not doing enough or not moving quickly enough. For him to say that I’ve contributed to his career and that Kind Clinic is helping the community, honestly, leaves me speechless.”
The Women of Distinction program recognizes individuals nominated by their peers and community members for exceptional service, professional achievement, and dedication to improving the lives of others. Alvarado-Gil will continue the series with honorees from each county in Senate District 4 throughout the spring.
After presenting Conway with the proclamation, Alvarado-Gil was given a tour of the new facility, which will open its doors to patients beginning next week.
“Alicia has played a vital role in expanding access to compassionate, high-quality care for individuals and families throughout Stanislaus County,” said Alvarado-Gil. “Her leadership has helped create a space where people feel respected, supported, and empowered; where care goes beyond medicine and truly meets people where they are.”
Also on hand for the celebration was Jeffrey Lewis, the president and CEO of Legacy Health Endowment, which has partnered Kind Clinic to launch free primary care programs.
“We are one of the financial supporters of the clinic,” said Lewis. “We’ve created a diabetic clinic here so that anyone in the 19 ZIP codes who needs access to medical care – for primary care or diabetes – can come here at no cost.”
Conway is a native of Laredo, Texas, and grew up in Luling, Texas. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Wash. Attached to a medical unit while serving with the U.S. Army National Guard, she became interested in a career as PA.
“I found out what a PA was when I was in the service,” said Conway. “That’s where I saw what a PA is capable of and how they can move laterally in the spectrum. When you become an MD, you’re stuck doing emergency medicine or stuck doing OB/GYN. As PA’s, we can move laterally, and that’s what I really loved about the career.”
Along with PA partners Luis and Edgar Mercado (Luis Mercado is also Conway’s life partner), Kind Clinic was established in November of 2024, sharing office space next door with Dr. E. Isaac Faraji, MD.
“We outgrew that space pretty quickly waiting for this place to be built up,” said Conway, who operates under supervising physician Dr. Paul H. Reed, MD. “And we will be moving over here next week. It’s very exciting. Nerve-racking, but more exciting.”
Conway worked with Dr. David Ferro, MD, in Stockton and learned about the business side of being a doctor – including how to navigate the battles with insurance companies.
“I had grown frustrated with the whole health care system,” said Conway, the mother of two daughters: 16-year-old Madison and 13-year-old Ali. “I told Luis that I wanted to open up a business. We toyed with the idea of opening an urgent care, but I kept thinking, ‘Is it going to be fulfilling or am I going to continue to hit that same wall?’”
In the year and a half Kind Clinic has been seeing patients, it’s gone from five patients a week to around 300 patients a month.
“We are growing at an exponential rate,” said Conway. “Three hundred patients a month? That’s what you’d see from a practice that’s been around for about 30 years.
“This has been an amazing journey, and I think it has turned out to be more than I ever imagined.”
