As a low-income, first-generation Mexican American/college graduate, my personal identities and experiences uniquely position me to contribute to RFU’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts (DEI). Through my journey, I have encountered various challenges and triumphs that have shaped my perspective and deepened my commitment to promoting DEI in healthcare and beyond. My lived experience growing up in an economically disadvantaged and medically underserved community has heightened my awareness of the healthcare disparities and inequities that exist, especially being raised in a traditional Hispanic household. It has fueled my passion to address these issues and advocate for accessible, culturally sensitive, and equitable healthcare. By bringing my experiences and insights to RFU, I aim to contribute to the institution's efforts to improve healthcare outcomes for underserved populations. Moreover, my bilingual and bicultural background allows me to connect with diverse populations on a deeper level. I can communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking individuals and bridge language and cultural gaps in a …show more content…
I joined because I wanted to understand the community that I would be taking part in for the entirety of my undergraduate degree. The community itself was within Central Valley, California, which was also known to be largely medically underserved and economically disadvantaged. I was able to witness this firsthand, as a college student focused on pursuing medicine, the impact of healthcare disparities, and social determinants of health. These experiences have instilled in me a commitment to serving and empowering marginalized communities. By actively engaging with other campus-based organizations and promoting health education initiatives, I aspire to contribute to RFU’s community outreach efforts and foster positive change in the communities we
Background statement: Heritage Valley Medical Center has had a wonderful reputation for providing excellent health care services to their community. Initially, their community was 80% Caucasian, 40% African American, and 5% Hispanic. However, in the last 5 years, the population has changed to more minorities and the whites have moved out to the suburbs. This caused the Center’s occupancy rate to go down 40% because many of their traditional, more affluent, private-pay patients had left the neighborhood. To bring in revenue, they campaigned to bring in more Medicaid patients.
During my public health studies, I focused my research on strategic management and program planning in order to realizing innovative ways to provide quality care to low-income minorities. Throughout my public health studies I was fortunate to design and plan a program for a free clinic in the Bay Area to integrate an innovative mental health system within their existing medical clinic. Additionally, I worked as a student consultant with Kaiser Permenante on a language assistance program development. I developed and conducted a qualitative research project investigating the impact of health education in improving minorities’ access to mental health services. Throughout this research I benefitted from interviewing many health educators, social workers, clinicians, and psychologists doing their work in a variety of settings from clinics and hospitals to schools and county offices.
I am particularly interested in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics program, which aims to equip students with the tools needed to identify underlying factors that contribute to health inequities and disparities throughout the United States Healthcare System. Through the school's hands-on approach to learning and mentorship, I intend to expand my scope of understanding and skills to overcome the challenges that immigrant communities face on a regular basis. My future research aims to integrate social determinants of health and health equity to improve medicare and Medicaid access and extend health equity into the Incarceration system, which aligns with the current work that I am currently doing with the MacArthur Foundation through