Salud Para La Gente Community Outreach and Education

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Salud is active in the community in providing education, program enrollment assistance, point-of-care service, and in obtaining grants and conducting research to better serve our patient population. Outreach is at 204 East Beach Street, Building B, Watsonville, CA 95076 - MAP

EDUCATION:

Our experienced health educators provide educational presentations on a variety of topics, including family planning, HIV/AIDS and STDs, diabetes, nutrition, hypertension and dental health.

Presentations to Seasonal Farm workers: In the peak of the harvest, at-work presentations are given to seasonal farm workers about the community’s health care resources and health topics which are relevant to farmworkers’ well-being.

Presentations to community organizations, schools and parent groups: Our health educators provide information on health education and resources to a wide variety of organizations.

PROGRAM ENROLLMENT ASSISTANCE:

Medi-Cal: Our staff assists individuals in enrolling for California Medi-Cal assistance

Healthy Families/Healthy Kids: We help find health insurance assistance for children of low-income parents who may not qualify for no-cost Medi-Cal. Healthy Kids is currently available for residents of Santa Cruz County

Medi-Cruz: Our staff assists individuals in enrolling in Medi-Cruz, a county operated health care program that helps low-income residents of Santa Cruz County without health insurance get the health care services they need

Patient Assistance Program (PAP): We assist qualified individuals in obtaining affordable prescription medications

Vision Prescription Assistance for Children & Seniors (VSP): We help children and seniors qualify for prescription assistance which will pay for glasses

Family PACT: We enroll individuals in Family PACT, a program which provides no-cost family planning services to men and women, including teens

Food Stamps: We assist qualified individuals in enrolling for supplemental food stamps

POINT-OF-CARE SERVICE:

HIV Testing: Our community outreach staff has been certified by the State of California to conduct HIV anonymous testing. We currently provide free, anonymous HIV testing. Tests are available on a walk-in basis, at the following sites: Salud Para La Gente Outreach Department located at 204 East Beach St., Watsonville 95076. Hours: Tuesday 1-6:00 (last patient at 5:15). Beach Flats Clinic, located at 302 Riverside Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Hours: Tuesday 9-12:00 (last patient at 11:30). Tests results are available within 20 minutes. Please call (831) 763-3431 or (831) 763-3440 for more information.

Food Distribution: Held every Wednesday at 1:00 pm at Salud’s main clinic, 204 East Beach St., Watsonville, our free food distribution has been a tremendous benefit to our community. This is a collaborative effort established with Second Harvest Food Bank to ensure that our patients and the low-income population receive the proper nutrition. Foods are selected by our experienced health educators. No appointment is necessary. Simply come to our distribution site on Wednesdays at 1:00 pm, rain or shine.

Support Groups:

Women’s Group: This group provides a forum for women to discuss various health and social issues, and meets from 1 pm-3pm on Mondays in the Veterans Memorial Hall, which is located directly across from the Community Outreach Center at 215 East Beach St., Watsonville. Please call 763-3440 for more information

GRANTS AND RESEARCH:

Proyecto Bienestar Para Campesinos: With past grant support from generous contributors, Salud provided workplace-site health education, health screenings, and health insurance enrollments for farm workers employed by local berry growers. These education, screening and enrollment activities occurred on a monthly schedule.

The services were delivered by the Mobile Team--a multidisciplinary team composed of health educators, certified outreach workers, medical assistants, primary care physicians and nurse practitioners--who visit each designated worksite in a mobile medical clinic.

Central Valley Health Network-Nutrition: In recent years, “the obesity epidemic” has become a familiar expression most of us know to refer to the growing problem of overweight and obese individuals around the U.S. With grant support from the Central Valley Health Network, Salud is working to address this issue in our community.

To do so, Salud offers group adult/youth/child educational nutrition talks that discuss basic nutrition, portion distortion, understanding the basics of nutrition labels, and becoming a conscious shopper/eater. For a video on a healthier meal option, click here.

Internally, Salud has implemented an Employee Wellness Program. This program looks to improve staff health by addressing nutrition, physical activity and stress reduction. For information on Salud’s Employee Wellness Program, click here.

HEAN Grant Report: Salud Para La Gente, Outreach Department developed the videos below and the following reports in an ongoing community health education series. Click here to view the videos

Links to reports:

Community Outreach News:
New Watsonville program ensures no baby goes home without a doctor and insurance
Salud Para La Gente provides quarterly health care classes
Davenport Health Fair Photos
Toys for Tots - Salud Para La Gente Community Outreach Services - Photos from the event
Community Outreach Services announces an enhanced food distribution event in time for Thanksgiving
Salud's CPSP (Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program) Mother's Day event a success
Salud Para La Gente and Binational Health Week