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welcome new board members!
Vesper Society is delighted to welcome three new leaders who join our board of directors this year: Erika Carlsen, Kevin Martinez, and Sid Stolz. They share Vesper’s belief in the simple idea that a just society begins when everyone is well and respected as a human being. We look forward to working with them to find long-term solutions that improve the health and well-being of overlooked communities. Erika Carlsen’s work in leadership development and training aligns with her life purpose to inspire joy, compassion, and connection among the people and within the organizations where she works. She also serves on the board of directors of Lideramos, a national alliance of Latino leadership development organizations. Kevin Martinez is a board-certified internal medicine physician and hospitalist at Kaiser Permanente Fresno, where he also mentors underrepresented premed students. He recently obtained funding to start a non-profit to provide housing and life skills to homeless veterans in Fresno. Sidney Stolz has 35 years of experience in healthcare and well-being improvement, holding leadership positions with innovate, industry-leading companies. He also serves on the board of N Street Village in Washington, DC, that empowers homeless and low-income women to claim their highest quality of life. These remarkable individuals reflect our commitment to our values of service, justice, and partnership. With their compassion and expertise on our board, we are one step closer to realizing the potential for healthy communities to thrive and prosper. Learn more about board... Read More
Asian Health Services Fights Public Charge
Vesper Society believes in a simple idea: a just society begins when everyone is well, and respected as a human being. Every day, we link arms with leaders of overlooked communities that want to create a healthy future and help them devise ways to do it. In today’s political climate, that future depends on sound public policy that creates an environment where communities can thrive. (Photo caption: Thu Quach, Asian Health Services’ Chief Deputy of Administration, Programs, addresses One Nation rally.) In July 2018, Vesper Society’s Board of Directors visited Asian Health Services in Oakland, California. Asian Health Services is a federally-qualified health center that provides comprehensive health care to nearly 30,000 low-income Asian immigrant and refugee adults and youth in Alameda County. For Chief Executive Officer Sherry Hirota and her 500 staff who stand on the front lines – doctors, nurses, dentists, mental health clinicians, and many others – carrying out the organization’s mission means fighting for justice in their patient’s health care rights, regardless of immigration status. During our visit, Vesper Society learned about the proposed changes to the Public Charge Rule that would impact immigrant communities. A Public Charge is a person who the Department of Homeland Security considers as someone who might rely on the government for support at any point in time. If you are labeled as a Public Charge, the Department of Homeland Security can deny your application for lawful permanent residence (a green card) or deny entry into the country. While the current rule restricts the use of public benefits programs to cash assistance and long-term institutional care, the new rule would expand it to include food stamps, Medicaid, and housing assistance. This new rule would have chilling effects on low-income families. It is estimated that between 1 and 3.2 million members of... Read More
Connecting to Care Celebrates Ten Years of Telehealth Services
Vesper Society links arms with the leaders of overlooked communities to develop long-term solutions for a healthy future. One such leader, Connecting to Care, is celebrating their tenth anniversary this year. Connecting to Care, is a nonprofit TeleHealth Service Center whose mission is to fill gaps in health care service. TeleHealth is a telecommunications technology that supports long-distance health care and health-related education. Currently located in Redding, California, Connecting to Care serves a variety of organizations including rural hospitals and clinics, regional centers, the Department of Rehabilitation, residential group homes, physicians and clinicians, speech-language pathologists, school districts, and physical therapists. Connecting to Care implemented telehealth in 2009 in Northern California’s rural and frontier communities where distances are vast, populations are often isolated, and health resources are limited. Lack of health and specialty providers is profound in the region, especially providers qualified to serve fragile dual diagnosis patients and developmentally disabled populations. Over the past ten years, Connecting to Care has offered an integrated approach to the delivery of health care. Their spectrum of services includes: TelePsychiatry, Assistive Technology, TeleBehavioral Health, Comprehensive TeleDiabetes Education and Breast Cancer TeleNavigator Support Groups. Funding from Vesper Society was instrumental in helping Connecting to Care establish a TeleBehavioral Health Program as well as a Comprehensive TeleDiabetes Education Program. These services had previously been unavailable to patients in remote clinical settings. Through our partnership, 98 percent of the participants in the TeleDiabetes Program successfully decreased their A1C levels and hospital readmissions. Data they have collected clearly shows that individuals’ health outcomes are strengthened through collaborative treatment plans versus treatment delivered in silos. For example, providing TelePsychiatry for medication stabilization in combination with Assistive Technology to increase communication skills has resulted in 100 percent of patients receiving both services, successfully reducing their psychotropic medications. In 2018,... Read More
FACES Students Create Videos to Tell Their Stories
Vesper Society is committed to supporting the health and well-being of youth and families. In order to achieve this goal, we link arms with leaders and organizations to help them create long-term solutions in their communities. The FACES for the Future program was founded in 2000 by two pediatricians specializing in adolescent health. In April, Vesper Society supported a four-day workshop for students in the FACES for the Future program at St. Rose Hospital in Hayward, California. Students engaged in a digital storytelling experience in which each participant created a short video. The workshop was facilitated by StoryCenter, a participatory media non-profit based in Berkeley, California, whose work is based around the idea of “Listen Deeply, Tell Stories.” The goal of the workshop was to give students the space and structure to think about important moments in their lives and understand how those experiences have impacted them. Students had an opportunity to reflect deeply and develop their own language to share their stories, and in doing so, take ownership of how their lives are represented. Prior to the workshop students were given preparation materials to help them think about the story they would include in their video. The first day of the workshop, students simply shared their stories verbally with meaning and intent. Next, they wrote a script, applying the input and supportive feedback they received through group participation. They then created an audio recording of the story and learned how to use a video editing platform. During the final day of the workshop, they used the editing platform to create a multimedia piece from their voiceover recording, pictures and video. The workshop concluded with a viewing of the digital stories they created. FACES for the Future students have successfully overcome challenges in their young lives – many of... Read More
Over 25 Years of Medical Volunteers Serving Local Needs
Every day, Vesper Society links arms with leaders who are working to improve the health of their communities. One such leader, Operation Access recently celebrated their twenty-fifth anniversary with a year of double digit growth in donated services. Operation Access matches doctors and nurses who volunteer to serve people who cannot afford the surgical and specialty health care they need. By leveraging surgical volunteers and partners to restore the health of uninsured and underserved people living in Northern California, Operation Access provides a critical service for immigrants who cannot qualify for affordable health insurance. Operation Access, its medical volunteers, and partners unify the community in support of human dignity for all, regardless of place of birth or financial means. Funding from Vesper Society was instrumental in developing Operation Access’ partnerships and services in East Contra Costa County, an area of particularly high need. Community clinics like La Clínica de La Raza and Clinic by the Bay rely on referrals to Operation Access to get patients the surgical and specialty care they need. In the past two years, referrals to the program have increased by 40%. Operation Access met the increase in demand by providing a record volume of care. In the last 12 months, 1,435 people living in 15 Northern California counties received 1,940 donated surgical procedures and diagnostic services, valued at over $25 million. By serving patients who face inequality because of their immigration status, race, language, ethnicity, and limited income, Operation Access’ volunteers seek justice on their behalf by alleviating some of the emotional impact on those who are sick but cannot afford care. Many patients express that the care they receive results in improved quality of life both mentally and physically. “Operation Access has wonderful volunteers with beautiful hearts who give their time to help people who... Read More