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Pilipinos for Community Health

With medicine and public health as our outlets of service, PCH strives to address social determinants of health and promote the holistic well-being of service recipients, all while uplifting and learning from the voices of the communities we serve alongside. Our organization has empowered under-resourced and historically marginalized communities here in Los Angeles and in the Philippines by providing free health education and clinical services. Over the last 30 years, PCH has grown to include 7 components dedicated to community outreach and cultivating a supportive space for the development of socially-informed healthcare professionals that strive to improve community health through equity, advocacy, and service.

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This organization is one of the most influential experiences in my journey towards medicine and healthcare.

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PCH

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I have two questions for you. One: whose shoulders do you stand on? And two: what do you stand for?

- Amanda Gorman, Using Your Voice Is a Political Choice 

At the end of each year, PCH holds a Candlelight ceremony (pictured on the right) to induct our new Staff members. This ceremony is just as much a celebration of what we've done and the family we've built within Staff as much as it is a celebration of the great things to come. This year, I passed my own torch all while receiving the flame that my predecessor had kept alight. 

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Halfway through the ceremony, I realized that I am part of a 33-year long line of incredibly dedicated, humble students who have graciously lifted me up in my journey to becoming a healthcare provider. Standing on their shoulders, they have given me a broader perspective to see that there is much more than what happens in the clinic that shapes our overall health. They have inspired me to stand for health equity. To remember that relationships with community members, and ensuring that they feel seen, can be as healing as medication. 

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We all stand on the shoulders of our predecessors. As we learn from their experience, we start to craft our own legacy in the ways we decide to stand for community health. 

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But I've realized that community engagement and service isn't just about whose shoulders you stand on or what cause you stand for. 

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It’s also about who you stand with.

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I've had the honor of collaborating with multiple community partners in LA that have taught me that community-building isn't just about service; it's about conversations so we can see the dream communities have for themselves and help them get the resources to make that a reality. And none of this would be possible without the friends that PCH have given me. 

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Because even if you know whose shoulders you stand on, you need a village to sustain and support one another as you all stand for that vision. 

Leadership & Community Work
President, 2022-23

My personal goal as PCH's President is to uplift our Component Directors and volunteers so they may come to see themselves as agents of change that contribute to community health efforts. To do so, I work with my Staff to analyze feedback from prior events and apply to grants so we have the resources to implement programs that are meaningful for service recipients and UCLA community. I also work with my co-Executive Directors to promote the personal development of our Staff, ensuring we create a supporting, collaborative, and restorative community of pre-health undergraduates.

Health Fairs Component- Director 2021-22, Intern & Research Team Lead 2020-21

PCH collaborates with multiple community partners to plan and execute 1 health fair each quarter. These events provide free clinical services such as A1c/cholesterol screenings, mammograms, and hearing and eye exams. After a difficult year and half, my co-directors and I hoped our health fairs could alleviate the health challenges that the pandemic exacerbated and even provided COVID-19 vaccines as well as social services (like housing relief and employment services). 

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More generally, our Health Fairs component works to integrate the concept of intersectionality to healthcare services, recognizing how culture and social climates contribute to our well-being. We provide culturally-informed services by translating resources, recruiting local service providers, and consulting community partners on the best ways to address their members' needs.

​Highlights from my involvement with Health Fairs include: 

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  • Regular meetings with West Angeles Community Development Corporation (WACDC) to organize the 2021 S.O.U.L Community Health Fair.

    • The S.O.U.L Community Health Fair offered a diverse group of services, ranging from COVID-19 vaccines, hearing exams, blood pressure screenings, yoga sessions, housing assistance, and child dentistry demonstrations. 

    • I oversaw logistical planning, shift assignments for 60+ PCH volunteers, and meetings with providers including UCLA Health and Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

  • Grocery and Hygiene Kit Donations to San Fernando Valley Refugee Children Center (RCC)'s basic needs program

  • Virtual sticker-making sessions for the children at RCC

    • Worked with RCC's staff to research cultural symbols. PCH volunteers referenced this guide to create stickers inspired by Latin-American culture and help the refugee children reconnect with their previous home. ​

  • Designed advertisement materials and website for the 2020 virtual conference, CommUNITY Health Fair: Bridging Communities Through Health Advocacy

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