By An on-campus organization is reaching a hand out to the Long Beach Latino community.
Cal State Long Beach’s National Council for La Raza/Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation, and Leadership Training (NCLR) has opened a new Latino health resource center in Downtown Long Beach.
The CSULB “Centro Salud es Cultura,” which translates to “Health is Culture Center,” is located on Pine Avenue. It is intended to be a health resource for Long Beach’s Latino community, according to Mara Bird, director of Community-Based Participatory Research and Outreach at CSULB.
The Latino population is the largest ethnic group in the City of Long Beach, composing nearly 41 percent of the Long Beach population, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.
The new center, which opened in October, aims to build on the work conducted on campus and facilitate research to improve the health of low-income individuals, Bird said.
“We already have a university presence. The [center] is the community engagement side,” said Ana Carricchi, a research associate at the center. “That’s why we opened it, so we could have a local neighborhood presence and engage the community in providing services and developing our material.”
Seven CSULB graduate students studying social work, public health, community health and nutritional science are staffing the center, according Bird.
Lizette Alvarez, a public health graduate student who works at the center, said she wanted to reach out to the community.
“I wanted to get involved with something that really made an impact in the community as opposed to previous work I had done, which only focused on the college community,” Alvarez said.
Bird said the center was placed off campus not only because it is intended for the community but also because it allows the university to partner with different community organizations.
“Health promotion is really successful when you remind people of their cultural assets, values and strengths and what they want to pass down to future generations,” Bird said.
The new center addresses a number of health issues, including nutrition, mental wellness, physical fitness, obesity prevention and sexual health.
One project the center is working on is called “Sanos y Fuertes,” which translates to “Healthy and Strong.” The project is intended to create nutrition workshops to better inform the community about a healthy lifestyle.
Other programs the center will offer include exercise classes, such as Zumba, and tutoring from undergraduate CSULB students, according to Carrichi.
The center will also host free monthly cultural events, including screenings of foreign films and lecture series about art and music, Carrichi said.
The CSULB Centro Salud es Cultura is also sponsored by local groups, including Molina Healthcare, St. Mary Medical Center, the Port of Long Beach and Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), according to Bird.
Carrichi said the center is currently searching for additional funding and volunteers.
“We definitely are seeking partnerships as well as financial support to grow the programs,” she said.
City Editor Daniel Serrano contributed to this report.
