Physician-led clinic marks its second anniversary with a science-first model: every prospective patient is medically evaluated, and the medical director personally approves or declines each one
CANCÚN, Mexico, Oct. 12, 2026 – Transcend Clinic, a physician-led addiction treatment clinic in Cancún, marks two years of operation this month with the same rule it opened with in October 2024: no one begins treatment until the medical team has screened them and decided treatment is appropriate. Screening can, and sometimes does, end with the clinic declining a patient.
Transcend calls its approach Scientia Prima, Latin for “science first.” Clinic leadership and staff base clinical decisions on evidence and sound medical judgment. Chief Medical Officer and Medical Director Dr. Fernando Rivas personally approves or declines every prospective patient.
Screening starts before travel. Patients speak with the clinic at length before traveling to Cancún, and upon arrival they undergo EKG screening, blood work, urine testing and an echocardiogram (cardiac ultrasound). The medical team then reviews the results alongside the patient’s medical history and prior treatment to determine whether to proceed.
Accepted patients remain under physician-led care, with 24/7 medical monitoring, for their entire stay. Dr. Rivas brings 20 years as an emergency-medicine and critical-care physician, and the team includes cardiology and psychiatry specialists, Dr. Salcido and Dr. Montemayor.
The clinic often works with patients who have already tried detox, residential treatment or medication-assisted treatment but relapsed.
The clinic has a particular focus on veterans and first responders living with substance use disorders, while treating patients from all walks of life. CEO Jorge Medina is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.
“Many of the people who call us have done everything they were told to do and are still struggling,” says Medina. “They deserve a straight medical answer about whether we can help, even when that answer is no.”
About Transcend Clinic
Transcend Clinic is a physician-led, medically supervised addiction treatment clinic in Cancún, Mexico. Since opening in October 2024, the clinic has followed a science-first model it calls Scientia Prima: every prospective patient is medically screened before acceptance, and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Fernando Rivas personally approves or declines each one. Its medical team, drawn from emergency medicine, critical care, cardiology and psychiatry, provides 24/7 medical monitoring throughout treatment. The clinic serves adults living with substance use disorders, with a particular focus on veterans and first responders. Learn more at transcendclinic.com.
Media Contact
Jorge Medina, CEO, Transcend Clinic
Support@TranscendClinic.com
+1 760-621-6203
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