Marin Community Clinics Health Hubs
38,000 people benefit in just 7 months
CEO Linda Tavaszi at Health Hubs
Free, nutritious food; health education; cooking demonstrations; screening for diabetes and hypertension – and Zumba dancing! It all comes together at Marin Community Clinics’ weekly Health Hubs, held at our San Rafael and Novato clinics.
Despite its overall high income level, Marin County continues to have great economic disparities. Some can’t afford to put healthy food on the table, and others don’t have easy access to important health information, let along screening for common chronic diseases.
Building health and communities
The goal of the Health Hubs is to serve families, seniors, and the working poor who often have to choose between buying healthy food, purchasing gas to travel to work, or paying for needed medical care.
“Our Health Hubs are unique,” reports Florencia Parada, Health Hub Supervisor. “First of all, they are held at our Clinics in a familiar and welcoming environment near where they live. The program is multi-lingual and multi-cultural. It’s a partnership among all the participants – the SF/Marin Food Bank, ExtraFood.org, health screening and physical activity staff and volunteers, and other community-based organizations that provide information about their services. We even have a drive-through line for the food bank, which is great when the weather is bad.
It’s interactive, fun, and family-oriented. It’s about building health and stronger communities.”
Health Screenings save lives
“The health screenings, which we conduct three times a month, are a key part of the Health Hubs,” explained Mitesh Popat, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer. “People are simply more receptive to health education and screening in a familiar environment, and the Health Hubs provide just that.”
When an individual who has received screening at the Hubs is found to be high risk for diabetes or high blood pressure, they are immediately referred to a Clinics provider for followup.
 Health Hubs. Photo: Stuart Lirette |
Snapshot : June – December 2015
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Health Hubs are held:
- every Wednesday in San Rafael (3110 Kerner Blvd.) 2:30 – 5:30 pm in winter; 3 – 6 pm rest of year
- every Thursday in Novato (6100 Novato Blvd.); 2:30 – 5:30 pm in winter; 3 – 6 pm rest of year.
What participants say
“There are times when we don’t have money to have food on our table, so the bag of food that I can get from the Clinics helps us a lot…especially in winter when my husband can’t find work and because I am not working because of back issues. “(translated from Spanish) –Lucia Rodas, community member
“…many people don’t know where to go for support and help… The Clinic is an ideal place to get medical help and a place to learn about other resources that can help patients’ health, like the Health Hubs.” –Carole Hirokane, Clinics patient
Community Groups Donate to Health Hubs
Our thanks to the Marin Professional Women’s Network, which recently donated $1,000 to the program, and to the ExtraFood.org Program, which donated $2,500. Our annual costs run about $130,000, so financial support is much appreciated.
Want to support this important program?
You can volunteer to help with registration, setup or cleanup, nutrition education or food distribution. Email fparada@www.marinclinic.org or call 415.755-2558
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