Olivia Mendez, graduated from Esperanza’s Community Health Promoters Training Program in the year 1998.  When she began the training, Olivia didn’t understand the meaning of a “Health Promoter”, but as the training progressed, she felt like she was studying for a career in health and was amazed by this training since she had always felt the need to help others.

After graduating from the training, she began an internship at the Los Angeles County Immunization Program under the supervision of Leticia Ibarra.  There she worked outreaching the community and this is where she discovered different types of community needs, and was glad that she was able to provide information and resources for them thanks to the training. 

After she completed her internship with the Los Angeles County Immunization Program, Olivia started working with South Los Angeles Health Projects (SLAHP) expanding her knowledge in immunizations.

Olivia is now a  Community Health Promoter and Project Manager for Rescatando Salud (Health Rescue Project); a project of Esperanza.  Rescatando Salud works to improve immunization rates of children in our  neighborhood through immunization promotion, working closely with the County Immunization Project, South Central Family Center.

From left to right: Elizabeth Guevara, Evelia Castañeda, Blanca Valdez-Nava, Olivia Mendez, Norma Perez, and Graciela Torres.

Para mi ha sido una bonita experiencia trabajar en lo que me gusta porque de esa manera todo se hace mejor y a la vez se disfruta.  Me llevo muy bien con mis compañeras y eso es muy importante cuando se trabaja en equipo.

Recently AARP magazine featured a piece on non-traditional jobs in health care and Community Health Promoter Olivia Mendez was highlighted. 

Link: AARP Bulletin Today