Esperanza Health Center eNews - August 2019

A Recipe for Health...Together! What happens when over a dozen families come together twice a week for delicious family-style meals, group exercise activities for kids and adults, interactive lessons about nutrition...and, a whole lot of fun? Earlier this month, the Recipe for Health summer program concluded with a graduation celebration and meal at the host church, Cornerstone Community Church in the Kensington community. A partnership of Esperanza Health Center, Sunday Suppers , and Thomas Jefferson University's Health Design Lab, the six-week pilot initiative involved family-oriented lessons, a group physical activity, and a family-style meal two evenings each week. At the end of each evening together, families received a meal kit and recipes, enabling them to prepare the same meal at home.

For the graduation pot luck dinner, each family brought their own homemade dish that was inspired by what they'd learned over the summer— dishes included roasted vegetable wraps, sweet potato hash, bulgur wheat and homemade hummus with pita chips. At the start of the evening, families shared things they learned or were thankful for in a "web of connection." A total of 13 families graduated; each person received a graduation certificate, and each family took home a new cookware set and other kitchen equipment like a cutting board and spice set. We're thankful for the partnership of Sunday Suppers, Health Design Lab, Cornerstone Community Church and every family that participated in Recipe for Health, for making it such a special time together this summer!

Kensington Site Update: We're Almost There! We're now just one month away from the opening of our new Kensington health center and parking structure ! Our first day of patient visits at our new health center at 861 E. Allegheny Avenue will be Monday, September 30th starting at 10:30 am . The team from Target Building Construction continues to make great progress to finish both projects, and we are excited to begin to serve our patients and community there in just a few short weeks. Thanks for your prayers as we prepare for the upcoming move from our current Kensington site, and for a smooth transition to the new site.

Esperanza Receives Health Center Quality Leader Award We are pleased to announce that we recently received recognition from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as a Health Center Quality Leader for 2019, ranking in the top 30 percent of 1,400 health centers nationally for clinical performance. This is the third consecutive year that we've received this award — congratulations to our clinical, program and administrative teams for this achievement!

We're Hiring!

We're seeking qualified professional individuals to join our team! Click the link below to learn more about opportunities at Esperanza and to apply. Current Job Opportunities at Esperanza Volunteering at Esperanza: Our volunteer opportunities page has recently been updated. If you are interested in volunteering at Esperanza, plesae contact Karen Norris, Esperanza's Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected]. Medical students and residents: we have extensive experience in precepting students and residents at all levels of training. We also offer a Medical Student Mentoring Program and shadowing opportunities for medical students. Please contact David Feister, Medical Department Administrator at [email protected] .

Give to Esperanza Health Center

Our Mission: “Compelled by the love of God in Christ Jesus, in cooperation with the Church and others,  Esperanza Health Center  is a multi-cultural ministry providing holistic healthcare to the Latino and underserved communities of Philadelphia.”

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