This San Diego Health Center Offers Patients a Career Focused on Community

Editor's note: This article is part of a joint editorial initiative between the National Association of Community Health Centers and Direct Relief.

It's been nine months of long, busy days for Diana Garcia Cortes.

The San Diego-based single mom went to work as usual in the mornings, taking calls from patients at a community health center. But instead of heading home after work, she spent her evenings in classes at the Laura Rodriguez Medical Assistant Institute, working toward a career goal that would also help her serve her community.

The combined workload was wearying and she missed her family, particularly her daughter. But it all felt worthwhile in August, when Garcia Cortes became a certified medical assistant.

"It's really, honestly life-changing to know that within a year I'm able to have a different career, better opportunities, a different job," she said. "It makes a big difference in my life to be able to not worry about bills as much."

Garcia Cortes graduated from the LRMAI earlier this month, one of a cohort of 15 new medical assistants.

At the institute where she was educated, her story - new qualifications, a new career, and new possibilities - isn't incidental. It's part of the mission.

The LRMAI's program, a project of the Family Health Centers of San Diego, is focused on educating medical assistants who reflect the community they serve. Sixty-five percent of participants have been health center patients, and students have the option of attending full or part-time, as suits their needs.

Direct Relief provided a $450,000 grant to develop the medical assistant education program through its Fund for Health Equity, which aims to reduce health disparities and build a more diverse healthcare workforce.

Graduates - three cohorts have completed the program thus far - say the experience is "life-changing," offering them a pathway to further their education, begin a career path, and support their community.

FHC of San Diego has 27 locations. The health center serves about 160,000 patients, with over 95% of them living at or below 200% of the federal poverty line, according to HRSA data. Most identify as part of a racial or ethnic minority.

Pauline Lucatero, vice president of community affairs at the health center and chief academic advisor at LRMAI, said the level of enthusiastic interest from patients was unexpected but "beautiful."

"I interview every single one of our prospective students, and they share their stories with me, and the diversity in the background, the diversity of the life experiences that they share, it's really, really powerful," she said.

Garcia Cortes was born in Mexico and emigrated to the United States with her parents at age nine. She went to high school in San Diego and was unsure of her future until former President Barack Obama signed an executive order, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, that temporarily prevents deportation and allows her to legally work in the United States as an adult.

She took on customer service roles. Paying to go to school, or taking the time away from her daughter, seemed out of reach.

Two and a half years ago, she began working at the health center, helping patients schedule appointments and coordinate transportation. When her supervisor mentioned the medical assistant program, the opportunity to further support patients piqued Garcia Cortes' interest.

"Seeing how grateful the patients are…being able to go to their homes since they were not able to come to the clinic…or just seeing the difference that it made in their life: That made me want to keep learning," said Garcia Cortes.

Completing the program wasn't easy, but the single mom said her parents and siblings kept her motivated, reminding her of the difference it would make for Garcia Cortes and her daughter to continue her education.

Along with nine of her classmates, Garcia Cortes continues to work at FHC in her new role. If graduates choose to stay on as staff members, the health center will reimburse their tuition costs after three years. She plans to continue working and to become a licensed practical nurse through the LRMAI program in the future.

Lucatero, who began her career as a medical assistant and is also a registered nurse, said that's how the program works. Tuition rates are kept low, offering a "huge lift" for students who want to advance their careers but can't afford the typical cost of education programs like these.

"I'm most proud that we're able to offer this opportunity for people who didn't even know that it exists for them," she said. "Just raising their awareness that, hey, you may have grown up really rough, but we've created a very safe environment for them to thrive in and give them a future to look forward to."

For an August graduation ceremony, students selected two speakers from their cohort. Garcia Cortes was one. Vanessa Montano-Ortiz, who celebrated her 18th birthday just one week after completing the program, was the other.

While giving a graduation speech was "nerve-racking," she said, it was an honor to express her classmate's pride and joy in completing the program and in their increased capacity to help others.

"People are coming to us because they're sick, they don't feel well, and if they can leave even with a slight smile or a compliment that you gave them, you make them feel well taken care of, they feel a bit better," Montano-Ortiz said.

Growing up in California and Mexico - she moved back and forth with her family until she finished high school in San Diego last year - Montano-Ortiz wanted a career that would help her community. Just a few months after her high school graduation, her stepfather recommended the medical assistant program.

Her achievements, which allow her to work with her neighbors and benefit her community, seemed impossible only a year ago, she said. One of six graduates who also completed the national certification - an optional, additional accreditation for LRMAI graduates - Montano-Ortiz, like Garcia Cortes, has a future career as a licensed practical nurse in her sights.

In just a few short weeks, she has seen the difference a medical assistant can make. She said that small gestures, like introducing herself and asking patients their names, or explaining where she's going to touch them before a blood pressure or temperature check, make people more comfortable and relaxed.

"I've had patients who, quite literally, just thanked me for introducing myself, for saying, 'Hey, my name is Vanessa and I'm going to be the medical assistant helping you today,'" she said.

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