- via the LA Times
America Bracho
Soon after America Bracho started a health nonprofit in Santa Ana 18 years ago, a student in her diabetes self-management class needed eye screening. He didn’t have enough money to pay for it, so Bracho and the class decided to raise the funds — by selling tamales.
The man had the screening, and Bracho had a new motto: We will build a healthy community, even if we have to sell tamales.
That motto now guides Bracho, a Venezuelan-born doctor, in her work as president and chief executive of Latino Health Access, an organization with a roughly $3-million budget dedicated to disease prevention and health promotion in underserved communities of Orange County. The organization still holds an annual “tamalada” to raise money for its diabetes patients and its programs, which include breast cancer awareness, domestic violence counseling and exercise classes.
Bracho sees firsthand the health problems facing Latinos, many of whom are uninsured and fighting chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. But like an increasing number of public health officials, Bracho doesn’t believe medical care is the primary solution. She said education, prevention and most importantly, participation can have a bigger effect on communities such as Santa Ana.
Read more at the LA Times.
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