How Community Health Fairs Improve Outcomes

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For nearly three decades, Rose Padilla Johnson has led and organized services for the Davis Street Community Center, a nonprofit that services San Leandro and Alameda County. Under Rose Padilla Johnson’s direction, the Center has become a one-stop shop for support and health services for the San Leandro community. Recently, the Center hosted its 5th Annual Community Health Fair.

Health fairs often improve the public’s awareness and knowledge of widespread health issues within the community. The event usually combines the expertise and reach of health care providers, nonprofit organizations, and community programs to attract and educate attendees. Furthermore, health care providers may use the opportunity to provide free screenings and flu vaccinations.

A study of a health fair held at Yale University found that attendees come from diverse backgrounds, education levels, and ages. For this reason, health fairs tend to target health issues that impact many members of the population, including high blood pressure, sexually transmitted and infectious disease prevention, asthma, and accident prevention. Many fairs also offer information in different languages to make health knowledge more accessible to non-English speakers.

Davis Street Hosts 5th Annual Community Health Fair

Stethoscope 

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Rose Padilla Johnson has spent nearly three decades with Davis Street Community Center, Inc., in San Leandro, California. As chief executive officer, Rose Padilla Johnson is charged with the oversight of multiple programs catering to under-served communities in and around San Leandro. Services range from annual events and fundraisers, including the Community Health Fair, to assistance navigating the state’s affordable housing resources.

Davis Street Community Center hosted the 5th Annual Community Health Fair on August 10, 2019. Supported by 25 additional community service providers, the fair addressed a myriad of health needs through free dental screenings and blood pressure checks, among other services. The more than 1,000 attendees were also treated to several fun activities, such as children’s games and live music. Lunch was provided by the Local 55 Firefighters Union of Alameda County.

A true community event, the fair was also supported by the San Leandro Police Department, Abbot Diabetes Care Division, the Migrant Education Program, and Castro Valley Yoga, to name a few community partners. The event was highlighted by a back-to-school giveaway that provided new shoes and backpacks full of supplies to 586 school children.

Nike, Davis Street Partner for Back 2 School Giveaway

Nike store front

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Rose Padilla Johnson of San Leandro, California, has spent nearly three decades at Davis Street Community Center, Inc., and serves as its chief executive officer. In this position, Rose Padilla Johnson has helped Davis Street establish important relationships with businesses throughout the San Leandro region and beyond, including an annual back to school giveaway with Nike.

Davis Street once again held its annual Back 2 School Giveaway ahead of the 2019-2020 school year. Through a partnership with Nike Shoes, this year’s event provided 150 local children from low income families with new shoes. Held in the spirit of the longtime Nike catchphrase of “Just Do It,” the Back 2 School Giveaway functioned as more than just a distribution of new clothes. Rather, the event brought together numerous members of the community, all of whom worked to inspire and motivate children prior to the start of school.

New clothing not only provides children with confidence, but minimizes the chances of a child from a low income background being targeted and bullied, which can have a negative impact both emotionally and academically. More information about the event, as well as similar initiatives, can be found at the Davis Street website, www.davisstreet.org.

A Night in Havana Fundraiser a Success

A respected volunteer and nonprofit executive with decades of experience, Rose Padilla Johnson serves as CEO of Davis Street Community Center in San Leandro, California. As part of her duties, Rose Padilla Johnson engages the community-at-large and other key stakeholders with regular fundraisers to help the center continue its mission of serving San Leandro. 

The center held an engaging fundraising event in March 2019 based around the theme of A Night in Havana. The sell-out event highlighted Cuban cuisine and culture, raising more than $160,000 to help the community center continue its vital mission of reaching the thousands of underserved individuals in San Leandro. 

The event also marked a changing of the guard among the David Street Community Center’s board of directors. Gordon Galvin stepped down as board president after serving in the role for a decade. Dr. Susan Cota was introduced as his replacement. In her comments, CEO Rose Padilla Johnson expressed gratitude for all the community partners whose contributions continue to give the center the vital resources it needs to continue reaching those who depend upon them the most.

Davis Street Community Center Joins Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive

As the CEO of the Davis Street Community Center (DSCC) in San Leandro, California, Rose Padilla Johnson has managed a diverse array of community programs for more than 25 years. Committed to serving low-income families, Rose Padilla Johnson oversees programs including health clinic and child care services, as well as community services initiatives such as food drives. 

On May 11, 2019, DSCC participated in the country’s largest one-day food collection drive, Stamp Out Hunger, which gathers community service organizations and local post offices to donate food to people in need. Marking DSCC’s most successful food drive ever, the community center collected more than 25,000 pounds of food.

The 27th annual Stamp Out Hunger drive drew more than 30 volunteers to the San Leandro Post Office on Abram Court. Davis Street staff worked alongside municipal leaders, Key Club members, and high school students to sort thousands of pounds of non-perishable food items to be donated to local food banks. In addition to participating in food drives, DSCC supports low-income families in the area through food, clothing, healthcare, and childcare programs.

Addressing California’s Teacher Shortage

Since 1991, community leader Rose Padilla Johnson has led the safety net services provider Davis Street Community Center based in San Leandro. Over her entire public career, Rose Padilla Johnson has spearheaded initiatives that improve the quality of life for San Leandro’s most vulnerable residents. She is an ardent supporter of programs that effectively respond to the state’s teacher shortage.

During the 2017-2018 school year, California needed 24,000 more qualified teachers to fill positions at 10,000 schools across the state according to a study conducted by the Learning Policy Institute. That year, only 16,000 new licenses were awarded, while the remaining positions were filled by staff without sufficient teacher training.

While the number of students in California teacher preparation programs has increased over the past seven years, widespread concerns about the high cost of teacher training programs and perceived job instability have made it difficult for the state to attract new educators. To combat this, California’s Governor has increased funding for undergraduate teacher preparation programs and initiatives to encourage non-instructional school staff to obtain teaching credentials. Other education professionals suggest that the shortage may be reversed by reinstating loan forgiveness and tuition-free teaching programs.

Three Reasons to Consider Short-term Therapy

As the CEO of Davis Street Community Center for 27 years, Rose Padilla Johnson has transformed the center into a one-stop wrap-around services provider delivering medical, educational, and community support to residents of San Leandro and Alameda County. Under Rose Padilla Johnson’s leadership, Davis Street expanded its affordable mental health services and provided San Leandro clients with long and short-term therapy options.

Short-term therapy is a goal-focused form of cognitive behavioral talk therapy with a set time limit. Therapists meet with clients over a few weeks to a few months to work on issues related to emotional and mental health. Some benefits of short-term therapy include:

1. Specificity - Rather than investigating the root of a behavioral pattern, short-term therapy focuses on identifying current problems and implementing pragmatic solutions. This type of counseling is ideal for tackling a specific situation, such as a recent break-up or a new stressful job.

2. Intensity - Most therapists include a ‘take-home’ component for their short-term clients, who are expected to consider what they have discussed during the therapy session and record their thoughts and feelings. This intensive reflection portion helps clients make the most out of their brief counseling sessions.

3. Low Commitment - Short-term therapy can be appealing to people who are not able to commit to years of counseling. Short-term sessions are more affordable and can provide clients with practical information that they can apply immediately to improve their lives.