TVHC’s Promotoras Continue to Build & Sustain Community Wellness

The Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center’s (TVHC) Community Outreach and Advocacy program is committed to empowering the communities they serve by providing health information and by increasing awareness of social issues. Their Promotoras are comprised of health education staff that reach out to the community through presentations, holding workshops, and partnering with other community-based organizations to increase awareness of important social issues, promote healthier lifestyles and positive social change. This year, the Promotoras have been quite busy with a full agenda of outreach and education programs.

Over the past few months, TVHC’s Community Outreach and Advocacy (COA) Department hosted Cooking Matters classes for the Promotoras with the goal of supporting the community with nutritious food and recipes to share.

The Cooking Matters course was presented in collaboration with 18 Reasons, a Bay Area nonprofit increasing food security through nutrition and home-cooking education.

Each class focused on different topics ranging from how to interpret nutrition labels on various grocery items to demonstrations on accessible ways to eat healthy on a budget.

With these classes, “the community is learning how to cook and eat healthy with the resources they receive each week, including cooking tutorials, healthy eating tips and recipes that are healthy alternatives to traditional high calorie dense foods.” says Sandra Rodríguez, Sr. Manager of Community Outreach and Advocacy.

Given the importance of good nutrition to overall health, this new cooking knowledge will help our Promotoras continue to educate their communities on ways to stay informed about their health and make healthy nutritional decisions.

Earlier this month, Deputy Sheriff Ruben Pola of Alameda County Sheriff’s Office  visited the Promotoras for a training course on safety and de-escalation techniques to utilize while doing outreach in the community. The training covered a basic understanding of de-escalation skills, safety strategies, and effectiveness under stressful conditions.

With the consistent outreach TVHC’s Promotoras are performing, being well-informed on how to de-escalate potentially harmful situations is a key factor in ensuring their Promotoras feel secure in the community and are able to educate community members on healthcare resources.

Additionally, this month the COA Department’s Promotoras joined Hayward Promise Neighborhoods (HPN) newly formed Community Advisory Board to plan future efforts together. HPN’s new Community Advisory Board, formed of HPN residents, parents, and community leaders, aims to provide community perspective and connect with other HPN residents to encourage their participation in available HPN programs and resources.

TVHC’s Promotoras are committed to collaborating with this new board to help with advocacy efforts and information sharing about the educational opportunities granted to families within the HPN area, symbolizing TVHC’s dedication to enhancing the future of the Hayward community.

You can learn more about TVHC HERE.