Dr. José Nicolás Gándara Cartagena[3][note 1] (August 26, 1907 – October 12, 1954) was a Puerto Rican physician and public servant.
[1] He was the son of Manuel Gándara and Mercedes Cartagena[1] Gandara graduated from Ponce High School in 1925.
[6] In 1954, Dr. Gándara was in the midst of a major government initiative for the creation of public housing in Puerto Rico in order to eliminate ghettos in the Island.
He consecrated with integrity the resources of his intelligence, his education and his care in order to provide service far beyond the call of duty.
"[8] On 2 November 1954, the then Secretary of Education, Mariano Villaronga, stated that a middle school would be built in Río Piedras to honor his memory.
He was a man like God wants men to be: with human warmth, generous in his service to others, fully given to those things of a valuable character.
The services offered include education and support to youths, mental health counseling, respite, adult foster care, substance abuse rehabilitation, STARR program, in-home therapy, care coordination (for children and adults), and other medical services.