About Us
As a recovery center, we have on staff multiple psychiatrists and physician associates (PA’s) who specialize in psychiatry/mental health. Additionally, we have an LMFT counselor, substance use counselors, medical assistants (MA’s) and a variety of non-clinical support staff. Physician associates are highly educated medical professionals who diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, and much more.
We offer counseling, therapy, medication management for a variety of mental heatlh and substance use issues, including MAT for opioid and alcohol addiction.
Staff
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805-332-4568
Francis P Lagattuta II - CEO
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of LAGS Recovery Centers, Inc. and the Road to Recovery Shelter & Navigation Center, Francis is dedicated to ensuring individuals have timely access to behavioral health services, resources, and basic human needs. Francis has a BS in Psychology with graduate education in addiction treatment and is currently enrolled in a Physician Associates program.
Katya Adachi Serrano - MD, Medical Director
Katya Adachi Serrano, MD, is the Medical Director at LAGS Recovery Centers, Inc. She is board certified in Family Medicine, Addiction Medicine, and Integrative Medicine. After UCSF Medical School she completed her Family Medicine Residency in Santa Rosa, CA. There, she completed an additional year of fellowship in Integrative Medicine, during which she obtained certification training in Herbal Medicine, Strain-Counterstrain, and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine. After several years in primary care practice, she incorporated addiction medicine into her practice in 2017, establishing a tribal Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) program. At LAGS Recovery Centers, she is working to integrate family medicine primary care with mental health and substance abuse treatment to provide whole-person care. Her approach to medicine is to honor and respect the whole person, using the best tools of both modern and traditional medicine to achieve balance, wellness, and healing. Dr. Adachi Serrano grew up in the Bay Area and is Winnebago (Ho-chunk), from the Thunder Clan, Ojibwe from White Earth, and Japanese. She is fluent in Spanish.
Darron T. Smith - Ph.D., PA-C, DFAAPA
A US Army veteran and board-certified physician associate with a wealth of experience in primary care, behavioral health, and integrative medicine. He completed his medical training at the University of Utah in 1996 and later completed his Ph.D. at the University of Utah in 2010. Dr. Smith is presently a faculty member at the University of Memphis in the Department of Sociology, working with undergraduate and graduate students. He combines the roles of clinician, scholar, researcher, thought leader, and educator to find evidence-based solutions for people with mental illness. His unique background lends him a deep understanding of social and environmental factors that underscore mental illness.
Dr. Smith’s overall areas of research focus on how systemic race-based discrimination affects healthcare outcomes, especially for communities of color. His latest research and practice intersect the study of applied neuroscience (neurofeedback therapy) and psychedelic research (MDMA, Ketamine, Psilocybin) with victims of childhood trauma. Dr. Smith is a distinguished fellow and member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and the International Society for Neuroregulation and Research (ISNR). He is also a board member with the American Psychedelic Practitioners Association (APPA) and a member of the Racial Equity and Access Committee for Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic and Plant Medicines.
Will Cable - PA-C
Will has been practicing medicine for over 11 yrs. Most of his career was spent in Emergency Medicine. In 2018, Will’s professional interests began to shift, and he started pursuing a doctoral degree in psychology. Around that same time, he began working in Addiction Medicine. He is also currently working on becoming a Certified Multiple Addiction Therapist through the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals. His areas of interest include substance & process addictions as well as personality disorders.
Will is a veteran of the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force. During his enlistment, he was stationed in England, Germany and with the 10th Mountain Div. He has served on several deployments as a Combat Lifesaver and Military Police Officer.
In his free time, he enjoys the outdoors with his two boys. He is an avid chess player and likes to trail run. Once a year, he travels to poverty-stricken countries to volunteer setting up medical clinics and providing free medical care.
Victoria Wolf - Substance Abuse Counselor
Born and raised in Santa Maria, Victoria has a wide range of education and experience in Substance Abuse, Case Management and Social Services. Victoria Graduated from Allan Hancock College and earned a degree in Associate of Science and a Associate of Arts. Victoria earned a certificate in Alcohol & Drugs Studies, Family Studies and a certificate in Human Services.
Victoria is currently working on a bachelor’s degree. Victoria has over 35 yrs experience in the field and has worked for various counties in social services and substance abuse, housing authority, juvenile hall, jails and prisons. Victoria is bi-lingual, bi-cultural. Victoria currently holds certification with CCAPP, CADTP and Breining Institute.
Sam Safaee - PA-C
Latavia Esters - PA-C
Latavia Esters earned her Associate of Science Degree Physician’s Assistant Certificate from San Joaquin Valley College in Visalia, California. She is a member of the California Academy of Physician Assistants and the SJVC Physician Assistant Alumni Group.
Bradford Chilikoff - Marketing Coordinator/Digital giving manager
Board of Directors
Coming soon.
Volunteers
