Three new Community Health Promoters in Puente’s ranks will be focused on serving the English-speaking communities of La Honda, Loma Mar, San Gregorio and Pescadero. Samantha Warner, Betsy Maldonado and Dan Newitt all joined Puente this summer as community health workers, also known as Promotores de Salud.  You may see them at farms and nurseries, attending community festivals and events, and in your neighborhoods talking with people about health care services at Puente. This is their primary work—out in the world engaging with people and promoting health. In addition to this outreach  in the community, they will also be available three days a week (Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays) at Puente’s La Honda office, at 8865 La Honda Road.

A big part of the work right now is finding out what kinds of services people want and need. Some examples: help applying for affordable health insurance; finding a doctor or getting a ride to an appointment; information on nutrition and exercise, tailored to address issues like diabetes and hypertension; healthy cooking classes; and counseling. It’s all potentially available, depending on what services folks request.

Puente’s newest Community Health Promoters, also known as  Promotores de Salud.  From left to right, Samantha Warner, Betsy Maldonado, and Dan Newitt. 

“I really believe the additional health promoters will be able to offer something for everyone who lives on the South Coast. Our first job is to start getting out there to ask what the community is interested in having, and then finding local people, other local resources and organizations, and staff at Puente who are trained for that,” says Betsy Maldonado, who moved to La Honda in 2015. She is training to be a professional health coach, and she applied for the health promoter position at Puente after having a ‘wow’ moment on Puente’s website.

“I saw the huge range of services Puente offers—everything from Zumba classes to helping someone get food. And dental care, rides to doctors, food stamps, Spanish classes. I thought to myself, I can’t believe it—they offer everything here!”

Samantha Warner felt the same way when she learned about Puente. Like Maldonado, she moved to La Honda last year and loves the tight-knit community vibe. Now she wants to help children and families get the services and attention they deserve. “Wherever l live, I need to get involved in my community. I’m just that kind of person. I try to be helpful. And to get paid to do it as a health promoter is just the icing on the cake!” she says.

Dan Newitt, the third new health promoter, is a respected La Hondan and a popular artist and musician. His bands frequently gig at places like the San Gregorio General Store.

Wolfes hopes to repeat the runaway success of Puente’s current Promotores program, which began in August 2015. To date, Puente’s Spanish-speaking outreach workers have made 970 individual connections with locals and connected 2,000 times overall. Dozens of people have signed up for health coverage as a result. Many now visit Puente’s county medical clinic, or receive discounted farmworker dental services.

Puente’s new health outreach team will adapt their approach to the diversified communities of La Honda, San Gregorio, Loma Mar and Pescadero.

The new health outreach effort coincides with an overall renaissance at Puente’s La Honda office, which has existed for several years. With this new program, Puente plans to have a stronger presence in the La Honda office by staffing it three days a week and offering more services. “This has already spawned more energy in our La Honda office. Every time we have our meetings and the door is open, someone walks in and says, ‘Good! You’re here!’” says Wolfes.

Services in the La Honda office will steadily expand from now on. A county health nurse recently offered mindfulness classes there. On Thursday afternoons, staff is on hand to assist community members with health care enrollments, notary services, tax preparation and other financial assistance programs such as CalFresh benefits. And Spanish classes will begin again in the fall.

Puente is also talking about bringing in some computers for people to use on a drop-in basis, as well as a copier and fax machine. Like so much in La Honda, those services are a long drive away. Though La Honda has a terrific Country Market store, there is no nearby gas station or laundromat.

A survey of 135 people at the La Honda Fair & Music Festival in July showed overwhelmingly support for healthy cooking and exercise classes in town. Locals are also seeking mental health support and help managing chronic diseases, like Lyme’s and diabetes. A majority of respondents mentioned they struggle with a variety of illnesses and conditions, especially obesity, high blood pressure, depression and asthma, or that they have a family member who does.

The results of the survey will shape Puente’s priorities in the months ahead. “There’s definitely a need and a desire in the community,” says Wolfes. “We want to increase Puente’s services to the entire South Coast region.”

Puente’s La Honda office, at 8865 La Honda Road, is now open on Monday from 3-7 p.m., Friday from 3-7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For details about health services, contact Molly Wolfes at (650) 262-5989 or mwolfes@mypuente.org. 

To learn more about Puente, visit www.mypuente.org.

To make a donation—and help support Puente’s services in La Honda—click here.

Join us for the Fourth Annual Puente 5k Fun Run/Walk!

It costs just $15 ($12 if you sign up before August 1) to join and a portion benefits Puente and its mission to, among other things, promote health and wellness throughout the South Coast.

Take in a beautiful walk or run through eucalyptus trees and alongside farms while supporting the essential services for local men, women, kids and families- our friends and neighbors who need it most.

Enjoy local food at the finish line and then you will still have plenty of time to check out the Pescadero Arts and Fun Festival!

Sign up today here!

Election season has come to Pescadero. And Puente, along with the state of California and the rest of the country, is witnessing a surge in citizenship applications.

“There’s a lot of people applying for citizenship,” says Rita Mancera, Executive Director of Puente. “It’s mostly because of what’s at stake with the elections coming up.”

Citizenship applications always swell during an election year, but this year’s numbers are unusual. In California, the number of citizenship applications from Latinos doubled from January through March, compared to the same time period in 2012. States like New York and Texas are seeing similar trends.

Here on the South Coast, the numbers are modest, but significant. Puente has helped 15 participants start the application process since January, compared with 5 people last year. Many participants are about to apply, or have applied and are waiting for an appointment from immigration authorities. Others have begun studying the long list of civics questions that comprise a portion of the naturalization test. Some others have worked with a Puente tutor to help them prepare.

Many applicants have been permanent residents for a while, and longtime community members. They were in no rush to apply for citizenship … until now.

“Older people tend to either resist become citizens or wait a longer time. Those are mostly the people who are coming in right now,” observes Mancera. Nationally, only 36 percent of eligible Mexicans actually become U.S. citizens, while 68 percent of all other immigrants do, according to the Pew Research Center.

This election represents a political awakening for Marisol Silva. She lives in Pescadero with her husband and young son, who are both U.S. citizens. This year, she decided to apply for citizenship as a way to unite the whole family and assert her right to vote. Silva and her husband are following the November election campaign closely. “The Republicans and the Democrats, there’s a big difference. The Latino voters have to help choose a better candidate,” she says.

She has other reasons, too. Silva is a teaching assistant at Pescadero’s preschool. She is also enrolled at Cañada College, earning credits toward a degree in Early Childhood Education. She’s a straight-A student with a perfect 4.0 GPA. She knows that as a citizen, she would be eligible for academic scholarships.

Alejandra Ortega is a local mom who works at Puente. “As a resident, I was not in a rush to become a citizen. And now I just feel like I need it – to be able to vote and have more rights.” She plans to apply for citizenship this month, and hopes she’ll be in time to vote in the election.

Once she is a citizen, Ortega hopes to run for school board in the La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District. As a citizen, she can do so. Her civic contributions will benefit her entire community.

Even with a green card, the citizenship process is a tall order that requires proving competency in English in addition to passing the naturalization test. It used to take three or four months to get an appointment. With a backlog at immigration offices statewide, it’s now taking six or seven months. It’s a major commitment and costs $680 to apply. That’s a hardship for those with very little disposable income, so Puente will sometimes loan an applicant the money if they don’t qualify for a low-income fee waiver.

Puente’s immigration services extend far beyond citizenship, however. Last summer, Puente obtained Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) agency recognition, an accreditation that allows certain staff members to file legal papers on behalf of clients who need visas, green card renewals, and help with legal problems, including deportation. Additionally, Puente is a one-stop shop for local youth to obtain and renew their work permits under DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). Dozens have done so.

Puente also educated the community around DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents) before it was blocked by the courts. Puente helped local mothers and fathers gather all the documents they would need to apply. “It’s absolutely heartbreaking that they’re going to be forced to live as if they are invisible,” Mancera says. “We have mixed-status families where the parents are not citizens and the children are. They’re always living in fear.”

Noel Chavez, right, with Alejandra Ortega

Noel Chavez grew up in such a family. Puente’s Education Director initially came to the U.S. without legal papers when he was seven years old, with his parents, four brothers and seven sisters. The family was fleeing violence in Michoacán. He has been a permanent resident since he was in college.

That’s just one of the reasons why Chavez cares so deeply about politics and the future of this country. “I identify myself with the ‘Dreamers,’” he says. In 2008, he worked with the Obama campaign and went to Nevada to register Latinos to vote in that seminal election.

This summer, Chavez applied for citizenship.

“As a citizen, I know my message is going to be much stronger. I really want to make sure that people know their options. That these elections are important. That if you’re going to be affected by those in power, you need to educate yourself before voting,” he says.

Would you like to support Puente’s legal services or help one applicant with their fee or partial citizenship fee? You can! Click here.