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"In public health, we say that the zip code is more decisive in your health than the genetic code”, says Dr. América Bracho, executive director of Latino Health Access, a center for health promotion and disease prevention in Santa Ana, California. Her organization was born from a radio program in which she worked. Listening to Latinos, she realized that in Orange County there was no health program geared toward them. In 1993, Bracho led the first report that identified that the Latino community in that county suffered from chronic diseases. That year he founded Latino Health Access. She is a consultant to the Pan American Health Organization and several US government and local agencies. She has received awards such as the Image Award and the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award.
UniVisionarios is a new initiative to honor exceptional U.S. Hispanics and their remarkable contributions to their communities and the world. The main objective of UniVisionarios is to praise the work of Hispanics who, through their work, ideas and initiatives, make life better for Latinos in the United States.
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SOCORRO EN ¡DESPIERTA AMÉRICA! | |
The Coronavirus has left its mark on the lives of many. Including our very own Socorro Juarez, whom you may have seen out in Santa Ana dressed as the dancing COVID vaccine, her life and her families life like many has been impacted by this virus, her sister who had a chronic illness became very sick before getting her second vaccine, she spent many weeks in the hospital trying to fight off covid but it damaged her lungs and sadly claimed her life.
Socorro says, "this loss is painful but I will continue trying to bring awareness on the importance of getting the vaccine to the community because I don't want others to feel the same pain I'm going through".
Our sincerest condolences go out to Socorros family and to our promotora and compañera Socorro.
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EDUCATING OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH FACEBOOK LIVE | |
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As part of the LHA efforts to provide the Latino community with information on the vaccine and how COVID-19 affects our body and mind, in February this year we launched the weekly Facebook Live series “Pregúntale al Doctor” (Ask the Doctor).
Our participants and promotores have been able to directly interact and ask questions to doctors who volunteered their time and shared their knowledge with an audience of all ages and life situations: the elderly, the youth, children, pregnant women, immunocompromised people or those with chronic diseases; and those emotionally affected by depression, anxiety, or domestic violence as the result of the pandemic.
The format allowed children to share their own questions with a pediatrician, teenagers to connect with a young doctor who understands their age group and their own worries about the side effects or long-term consequences of getting vaccinated; it also allowed seniors to get answers about long covid, and the risk of hospitalizations or even death in pregnant women.
A huge thank you to Doctor Olga Guijon (CHOC), Doctor Salvador Hernandez (Kaiser Permanente), Doctor Lorenzo Gonzalez (UCLA MLK), and our own team of experts Irma Da Silva,LMFT, Gloria Giraldo,DrPh, and Rocio Camacho, MD. The series Pregúntale al Doctor was viewed by over 6,000 people and you can still watch the videos on our YouTube channel.
Note: Our Facebook Live series has recently had a name change. The series is now known as 'Platicando con Promotores,' which will cover different subjects like mental wellness, LGBTQ topics, and more, you can catch this series every Thursday at 6:30 pm.
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Members of our Children and Youth Engagement team had the opportunity to participate in the CalBike Summit, California's most important in-person bicycle advocacy and planning conference in Oakland from April 6-9, 2022. LHA's CYE team leads Active Transportation Programs that bring awareness on pedestrian and bicycle safety as well as advocate for improved infrastructure projects.
The California Bicycle Summit took place April 6 to 9 in Uptown Oakland.
The Summit began on Wednesday night with a fantastic night of movies at the New Parkway Theater. The rich and inspiring program of bicycle shorts included Spokespeople, a documentary exploring bicycle communities and safety in Los Angeles. There was also a short video of San Francisco activists blocking car traffic when cars park in the bike lane, holding up signs that said, “We’ll just be a minute,” a short feature about the Scraper Bike Team, and Biking While Black, a powerful documentary by CalBike’s own Yolanda Davis-Overstreet. Many of the filmmakers and the people featured in the films were in the audience and the night included lively Q&As between films.
Information about the Organization:
- The California Bicycle Coalition (CalBike) is California’s statewide bicycle advocacy organization.
- CalBike’s Mission and Vision: CalBike advocates for equitable, inclusive, and prosperous communities where bicycling helps to enable all Californians to lead healthy and joyful lives.
Prior, to going to the CalBike Summit CYE Program Coordinator, Charis embarked on an adventure to Colombia's world of cycling known as 'La Ciclovia' which is held every Sunday in the capital of Bogota. On this trip, Charis was enthralled in the history of La Ciclovia learning about its humble beginnings to now becoming the world's capital of cycling and soon she was able to experience la Ciclovia, being one of the millions of cyclists to join.
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VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION MONTH | |
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This National Volunteer Month we want to recognize the importance of our volunteers and honor the significant contributions they make by generously donating their time and talents to our cause. Thanks to the over 200 commitments of our volunteers, we are able to sustain our programs, build stronger communities and transform the world - from our weekly food distribution to our youth programs to our annual fundraising events.
To the over 200 volunteers we had last year, and today, we'd like to say THANK YOU for lending your time, talent, and voice to make a difference.
If you would like to sign up to volunteer, please contact Brenda at:
bcervantes@latinohealthaccess.org
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CHILD ABUSE AWARENESS MONTH | |
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LHA has been providing services to the Orange County community for over 28 years, during which we have worked with our community to ensure our children and youth grow up in a place where they feel secure, protected and free from violence. We have taken a comprehensive approach by not only increasing awareness about child abuse prevention through workshops, resource fairs, and programs but also providing educational opportunities for families to learn to identify and break cycles of violence for future generations. Our team of emotional wellness promotoras have worked one-on-one and in groups with families to hold space for conversations on topics like negligence, abuse, and trauma- topics that are extremely sensitive but extremely important in order to learn to identify the signs of child abuse and how to prevent it.
Promotoras accompany families that have cases open within the system to ensure they have the resources and support they need in order to keep families together and ensure a safe environment for every member. LHA also works upstream with families to advocate for policies that improve the social determinants of health in our County. We have partnered with families to create a network of community members that can identify signs of neglect and abuse, and are ready to support families to make sure our children are safe and healthy. We are a member of the Blue Ribbon Committee, along with a number of partners that include over 25 community organizations and public agencies, which aims to hold activities throughout the month of April to increase awareness about Child Abuse Prevention and make sure our community’s children are protected all year long.
If you would like more info our need support, please contact our Downtown Family Resource Center at 714-660-3636.
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LET'S GET READY FOR COLLEGE | |
Are you planning to attend a 2-4 year college? Do you need help with paying for school? Then, you are in luck because Eagle Community Credit Union is awarding 4 students with $4,000 scholarships, and the top award is a $16,000 Scholarship for college. To apply today click on the button below.
Applications are accepted through May 31st, 2022.
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