Mariachi musicians and folklorico dancers gathered outside of the Social Science and Public Administration building to celebrate life and family for Latinos and Hispanics in the Long Beach community on Friday.
The Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation and Leadership Training celebrated its 10th anniversary with and a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The celebration started with a lecture in the Beach Auditorium followed by a performance from California State University, Long Beach Grupo Folklorico Mexica.
The rededication ceremony held Friday celebrated the center’s relocation to the SSPA building on campus. Formerly, the center was located in the Foundation building across the street.
“The move represents [that] they see us as part of their community, part of the university,” said Mara Bird, director of the Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation and Leadership Training, during her speech.
Britt Rios-Ellis created the Center for Latino Community Health in 2005 to ensure Latinos received social equality in the community. She started the center from a bedroom in her home before bringing it to CSULB
James Koval, dean of the College of Health and Human Services, said that the center has grown over the past 10 years and has raised more than $50 million as a non-profit organization.
“Clearly [hardship] has never stopped the center from growing,” Koval said. “There is a list of students as long as my left arm who have come through the center.”
The center is a non-profit organization, serving not only Latinos and Hispanics on campus but also residents near its satellite location downtown.
During her speech, CSULB President Jane Close Conoley said the center has served its mission on campus, providing aid for the nearly 13,000 Latino students at Long Beach.
The center supports programs that focus on health care, like the Sanos y Fuertes childhood obesity prevention program in the Latino community, according to the Center for Latino Health website. The center also supports is Salud a la Vida, which offers HIV testing and alcohol/substance abuse advising to students.
The center also provides tutoring and mentoring through the Hispanic Serving Institutions Science, Technology, Engineering and Math program. The Hispanic Health Opportunities Learning Alliance, also known as H2OLA, provides undergraduate and graduate students academic training, mentoring and helps with career development opportunities in the field of health disparities.
“We have the H2OLA program for students who are interested in going into health discipline,” said Miguel Angel Ortiz-Valenzuela, assistant director of the Center for Latino Community Health. “Whether they want to be nurses or doctors or anything that has to do with health, research even, and so we hire graduate students and undergraduate students.”
According to the H2OLA program website, the organization helps students with research opportunities, graduate school applications and funds to go to conferences to present their research findings.
“I’m interested in health disparities and the work that the center has been doing,” said Stephanie Sumstine, a graduate student in public health at CSULB. “ I’ve worked in an HIV clinic before and just studying health disparities I think I have a good understanding of what needs to be done so hopefully I can work with them and just create awareness.”
Students who attended the anniversary and rededication event were able to gain knowledge about the center and talk to representatives about the different types of programs they offer. Although the center focuses on Latinos and Hispanics, all students are invited to attend any of the events.
“We are all one race, we are all human and I’m glad the center serves not only the CSULB community but the long beach community,” said Associated Students Incorporated President Jose Salazar.
On Oct.1st the center and SAMHSA will provide HIV screening for students in the Central Quad.
