Thank you so much for being here and engaging with Centro's work. Read on to see what we're up to around the community!
First, a shoutout to our Community Resources team for the huge success of Centro's Summer Health Fair!
Here are some of the highlights:
200 people attended.
53 families received 2,000 lbs of healthy foods.
30 children received back-to-school physicals, vaccines, and fluoride varnish.
More than 30 COVID vaccines were administered.
And, more than 30 people were able to get blood pressure checks, primary care appointments, family planning services, and mammograms.
Muchísimas gracias to our wonderful community partners. We can't wait to see everyone at the next Health Fair on October 13th!
Next, we have a couple of fun items to put on your radar...
Are you thinking what we're thinking?
Learn some Spanish then come to Centro's Happy Hour and practice!
In other Community Resources news, our Compañeras program continues, and our Bienestar (Wellness) program is kicking off again in November.
We also have a new (but old!) program starting back up. Team Fitness is back!
Our Health Promoter, Celeste, will be meeting clients here at John Tarleton Park to exercise for an hour to promote physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. The program begins next week and will meet every Monday and Wednesday between August 21st and October 31st.
And finally, Centro is launching a brand new program! We caught up with our Director of Community Resources, Cristina Cáceres (Left), and our Director of Operations, Maria Matney (Right), to get the scoop.
What is the CUNA program and how did it come to be?
Cristina: Cuna is the word for "crib" in Spanish, and the program will work to address maternal health disparities in the Latina population by providing expecting mothers with more prenatal and postpartum support and education, plus an emotional wellbeing component. Claudia Caballero and I met with a different Centro Hispano in Arkansas that had a similar maternal health program. Both of us had the thought, “this should be our next thing!”
Maria: At around the same time, Cherokee’s Director of Health Equity reached out to us about piloting a maternal health program at Cherokee. They had recognized the need for it, and understood that it would need to be connected to the community to really have an impact.
Cristina: I wasn’t pregnant when Claudia and I were first daydreaming about it, but by the time we began designing the program, I was taking a number of prenatal classes, myself! I finished writing the program in Perú, five months pregnant. Coming back from maternity leave, I found out that we had gotten the grant.
Maria: The timing was really something special. We knew we needed to do something about maternal health and we were working to keep the interpreter program going. Now, our interpreters will study an entire module on maternal health and then connect with our CUNA moms to complete their practicum work.
Cristina: Motherhood is such a vulnerable and empowering moment in a woman’s life. As new moms, this new program means a lot to both of us, and we’re thrilled to be bringing it to the women of our community.
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