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Salina Mendoza Please describe your background and current activities and work related to the rural health industry: I am intimately familiar with rural health issues as I was born and raised in the Central Valley and have dedicated my professional life to serving rural communities. Growing up in the Valley, I have seen and personally experienced the obstacles that people face living here. While the beauty of rural living has its advantages, with those come disadvantages, including a lack of easy access to health services. I grew up with the passion of wanting to work in my community and help make services more accessible to families like mine. Immediately after graduating college, I went to work as a field representative for Assemblymember Sarah Reyes, where I interacted with all segments of the community, from business leaders to other elected officials to constituents who encountered problems with state agencies. I have continued working to improve access to health care for people in rural areas through my work with the Central Valley Opportunity Center and at Kings View, which included developing, implementing, and pursuing funding sources and projects for a telehealth network that linked six rural valley sites to medical and mental health specialists. In my current position as the Central Valley Policy and Field Coordinator for the California School Health Centers Association (CSHC), I have been able to expand my scope of work. By working to put health care services in schools, we are eliminating one of the primary barriers to accessing health care in rural communities � location. I work to establish partnerships between funders, providers, educators and parents to bring and enhance health care services to students and the community. By assessing the individual needs of each community, CSHC is working to bring medical mobile units, telehealth and/or health centers directly on campus. This allows students and the surrounding community to more easily access quality health care in a place that is familiar, trusted and convenient. Please list recent organizational and leadership skills of importance to rural health: I represent the school health center movement in the California Safety Net Coalition (CSNC), which provides a unified voice for the safety net provider community on decisions and activities regarding the California State Health Information Technology (HIT) Strategic Plan and the activities stemming from the Plan, including those outlined by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Additionally, I frequently present workshops and visit state and federal policymakers in order to educate people on the issues and challenges facing rural communities in terms of accessing health care, and how the school health center model addresses many of those issues. I work closely with CSHC's Youth Board to develop leadership skills among high school and college-age students in order to ensure that the voice and perspective of youth (who comprise a majority of the consumers of school health care services) is represented in decision-making. Engaging youth is key to empowering them to advocate for their health care needs. Please describe why you want to serve on the Board of Directors and what contribution you see making to the organization: My life's work is about equity and access. A person's health and well-being shouldn�t be sacrificed simply because of where they live. While my focus is on the Central Valley, CSRHA's mission is directly in line with my vision for a healthier California. By joining CSRHA's Board of Directors, I bring with me the knowledge and myriad of resources of the California School Health Centers Association and the movement to address health inequities as they relate to student academic success. Too often, health and education are viewed as separate issues, yet we know that a sick child can't learn, and conversely, many under-achieving students have unaddressed mental, physical and/or oral health challenges. I also carry with me the perspective of the very people we are seeking to help. I work directly for them, and with them. And, I am them. Biography: Professional information:
2010
CSRHA Board Elections |
