The newest pediatrician at Community Health Centers of the Central Coast's Arroyo Grande clinic, Dr. Alaa Shaban, was invited to call into WILD 106.1 FM's morning show: Wild Wakeup With Doughboy. Here's a quick snippet of their conversation on RSV for parents. Thanks to Doughboy and everyone at the station for allowing CHC to help inform our community.

Over $1.63 million in grants was announced for local efforts to get people vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19. Local health officials, including CHC's CEO Ronald Castle, gathered in Santa Barbara to hear Rep. Salud Carbajal announce four new grants totaling $1,634,218. These were created to increase the number of Central Coast residents who have received the new bivalent COVID-19 booster shot designed to combat current variants virus. With RSV and flu so strong this season, people must do all they can to protect themselves. While 70% of SB County residents got their initial COVID-19 vaccination series, only 20% have received the newer, bivalent booster. Health officials would like to see that number rise to 95%.

Filmed during National Health Centers Week in August, this episode of Healthcare For Life features CHC's Navigation Center Manager: Gracie Vasquez. Gracie took some time to share the ways CHC is trying to make it easier for patients to reach our agents to schedule, change or cancel their medical appointments without long wait times while holding on the phone.The addition of texting for medical appointments is the primary focus of this episode. Learn more at: https://www.communityhealthcenters.org/about/schedule-an-appointment/

The 2nd week of August marks National Health Center Week to celebrate the efforts and patients of community health centers nationwide. We decided to jump right into the world of live streaming and try out some brand new equipment for dynamic, live-streaming discussions with our staff. We are continuing to learn how to improve these videos, so while the video on this interview is choppy, the audio is intact and the supporting images look great and the content discussed is even better and very informative. We promise that these will be better very soon. We still wanted to share these with our community and celebrate the amazing CHC staff, our local agricultural workers and… most importantly… our patients. CHC's own Health Center Manager for the Guadalupe and New Cuyama clinic locations, Juanita Pineda was kind enough to sit down with us and be one of our first (brave) guests for our new video talks: "Healthcare For Life."

As Community Health Centers of the Central Coast celebrated its 44th anniversary since being founded in 1978, it seemed appropriate to get some insights from some of the staff. CHC's Chief Executive Officer, Ronald E. Castle also reflects on his time with the organization and shares some thoughts on his 'why' related to caring for the community in the now 31-plus locations across San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara counties.

To learn more about CHC visit: http://chccc.org

We at CHCCC want to thank ACEs Aware, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, and Aurrera Health for the impact they have had on our organization and community throughout the Round 1 ACEs Aware grants. The provider engagement grants have empowered us to engage our providers, support staff, and care coordinators in activities to create not only a trauma-informed but a trauma-responsive team. Thank you ACEs Aware for helping us and all California network partners to prevent ACEs and create healthier generations.

CHC created a display at the annual Santa Maria Elk's 'Christmas In The Country event.' The vision of CHC Executive Assistant: Chrissy Montez, brought joy and delight to thousands of guests at the new holiday favorite tradition. She even led the elves at CHC to include the smell of gingerbread baking as people drove through the experience with their windows down!

CHC Health Matters are a series of 60-second radio announcements to help the people of our central coast communities. Dr. Laura Herzberg is a pediatrician at CHC in Santa Maria and is a favorite of her patients and their parents. Common colds tend to hit us harder this time of year and with the pandemic, it seems like we may have forgotten how to be sick. Remember the core precautions if you come down with a cold: drink lots of fluids, get more rest than you normally would, wash your hands stay home. If you got to work sick, well… no one wants you there. Our workplaces have been better off the last year-plus with more sick people staying home – let's try to remember that.

A legacy of caring- for over 40 years. Community Health Centers of the Central Coast began operation in 1978 in a small and modest building in Nipomo, California. The mission was simple and still holds true: To enhance the health status of all people in the Central Coast of California, with particular emphasis on the medically under-served, by providing accessible, affordable, comprehensive, and quality healthcare services, through well-trained professional staff, in strategically located health centers. Today, Community Health Centers of the Central Coast, Inc. (CHC) is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, which holds a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) status, making CHC a safety net provider, with over 31 state-licensed clinics conveniently located in Northern Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County. CHC provides over 450,000 medical visits annually and cares for nearly 150,000 patients.

Providing essential healthcare services to the working poor, migrant and seasonal farmworkers, individuals and families experiencing homelessness, school-based populations, and the uninsured means going outside the four walls of traditional medicine. CHC understands the need to be mobile to reach vulnerable and underserved special populations while at the same time removing barriers to care. In its commitment to delivering quality healthcare to all residents, CHC created the Community Health Outreach Program, which includes a fleet of state-of-the-art mobile medical and mobile dental units. Patients are cared for by a diverse team of highly experienced healthcare professionals who are culturally and linguistically sensitive to their health and social needs.