Listen now to the 7/1/19 show on About Health, KPFA.org (94.1FM), on the needs of vulnerable, underinsured, uninsured, refugee, and immigrant people seeking community medical care.

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=313587

We discussed the special needs of communities to reduce the incidence of preventable malnutrition and chronic illness. 

Since 2002, Street Level Health has responded to the needs of a community who is 93% foreign-born with almost half (43%) having resided in the U.S. for less than three years.

Guests

Gabriela Galicia is currently serving as the Executive Director at Street Level Health Project in Oakland, California. She grew up in Southern California the daughter of immigrant parents, in a predominantly Latino low income, low resourced, immigrant and people of color community. Gabriela is the first of her family to graduate from college, and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in December 2009 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a minor in Ethnic Studies with a concentration in Chicano Studies. During her time in college she continued to find her passion in community organizing and working to advocate for issues such as immigrant and workers’ rights at both the local and state level, and other issues and policies affecting the most vulnerable.

Since 2010, she has worked in different capacities and roles at Street Level Health Project. Prior to her role as Executive Director, she served as the Immigrant Rights and Empowerment Program Manager for 6 years, leading and developing the street outreach program, fostering relationships with the Oakland Day Laborers through growing and evolving community building activities. She pioneered and developed the now-established Oakland Workers’ Collective (day laborer program) that creates a safe and empowering space for day laborers and low wage workers. Gabriela strives to continue to build a safe haven for the most vulnerable, elevating their voices and developing programming which places these impacted communities in a position where they can participate with efficacy and power. Recently, she has had the honor to have been selected as one of 18 women to participate in the first cohort of the Leaderspring Women of Color 2020 fellowship program. The purpose of the Women of Color LeadStrong Fellowship is to elevate and strengthen the vision, voice, power, and leadership of women of color working for social and racial equity and justice in the social sector.

Michelle Grace Steinberg is a nutritionist, herbalist, and documentary filmmaker based in Oakland, CA. She has a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and a Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition. She completed a 3-year clinical training program at the Ohlone Center for Herbal Studies. In 2009, she started Consultas Naturistas, a free Spanish bilingual holistic nutrition and herbal medicine program at Street Level Health Project. The program serves low income, uninsured clients with consultations on holistic nutrition and wellness, and provides free herbal teas, tinctures, and supplements. Michelle received the American Herbalist Guild 2015 award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and she has contributed articles to several health care journals. She is a board member for Integrative Medicine for the Underserved. (www.im4us.org) Her latest film, BEYOND RECOGNITION was in film festivals and is currently on national public television and her current film, A PLACE TO BREATHE, explores immigrant and refugee experiences in the health care system, highlighting how communities use integrative practices to heal from trauma. www.underexposedfilms.com/a-place-to-breathe.