Titled, “Cafecito con Derechos” (Coffee with Rights) and under the tagline “Aquí se Sirve Comunidad con Cada Taza” (We Serve Community with Each Cup), health promoters will welcome patients to the Marengo and Alvarado sites starting on May 6
Did you know that Clínica Romero can help you apply for CalFresh so that you can buy the groceries you need? Or that they can help you apply for Covered California or Medi-Cal if you don’t have medical insurance? Or perhaps you need dental or vision care?
Most people only visit a clinic when they’re sick, but Clínica Romero offers an assortment of services that target not only people’s health but also their well-being.
It’s a holistic approach that separates the venerable institution from other similar facilities.
To let people know about all these services, they are launching a series of community engagement ideas meant to be casual and fun.
COMMUNITY SERVED ON A CUP
“Good friends and great coffee make the perfect blend,” goes a popular saying, and Clínica Romero, a friend of the community for over 40 years, is launching a weekly series of community engagement events based around the popular drink.
Titled, “Cafecito con Derechos” (Coffee with Rights) and under the tagline “Aquí se Sirve Comunidad con Cada Taza” (We Serve Community with Each Cup), health promoters and Maria Cruz, the new Community Organizer and Outreach Manager, will welcome patients to the Marengo and Alvarado sites starting on May 6 with a hot pot of coffee for everyone to enjoy.
Running from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the idea is to offer patients and passerbys a light breakfast and let them know about all the resources the Clínica offers.
“We have our charlas (workshops) at the clinic, but we thought having a cafecito might bring people to the table,” Cruz says of the idea.
“The promotoras will be there to answer questions in a very casual, peer-to-peer approachable manner,” she adds.
It’s also a way to invite people who may be fearful about applying for services that they have a right to. Already, Cruz notes that many patients are opting to use their initials rather than their full names on the sign-in sheets.
The effort will begin at Marengo on May 6, 8, 15, 21, along with Alvarado on May 13, 20, 22, 28 and 29. On May 27, they’ll also head to the Montebello site.
BUENA!
On Wednesday, May 7, Cruz is also bringing games and valuable information to the Marengo site with “La Loteria Nos Une.”
Based on the popular board game of chance, this monthly event will allow patients to play Loteria with a very special “San Romero” edition while also learning about the resources available at the clinic sites.
The idea is to offer this event on the first Wednesday of every month, with the first one on May 7 at the Marengo site from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. In between rounds and intermissions, participants will learn about everything the Clinic offers, and even win some prizes.
“We want to make it a fun environment where they’ll leave knowing more about our resources,” says Cruz, who grew up in South Los Angeles attending community clinics since an early age for medical resources and grew up wanting to serve her community,
Unsure of what to do after high school, she even thought about going into nursing, before she earned her B.A. in Public Health, falling in love with this field, where she could combine her “passion of caring for people and a passion for health.”
Since 2021, she’s dedicated her career to this endeavor and, one month ago, joined Clínica Romero. There, she plans to bring culturally tailored health resources and education to the community for better health outcomes.
This community-oriented approach is what sets Clínica Romero apart from similar organizations, Cruz says.
“The reason is different is because it’s rooted in the foundation of San Romero who was an advocate for social justice, the marginalized, and the poor. Other places, their mission doesn’t have the same passion and values as Clinica Romero,” she notes.
“We want to be able to have patients advocate for their healthcare and at the same time we work to create an equitable healthcare system,” for them.
Providing a variety of resources that go beyond their medical needs, and most importantly, making them aware that they exist and are available to them, is also what sets Clínica apart.
Because those resources—whether it’s access to food services or help with housing—directly affects their health outcomes.
For more information
(213) 989-7700
