The Western States Affiliate has led the way in creating awareness about healthy lifestyle choices. Our new Health Equity Task Force takes that work to a new level, serving as a powerful resource for programs addressing the health needs of diverse communities.
Enrique Turegano of Tustin, California, is chairman of the 20-member task force. Turegano is Vice President, Chief Business Strategist for alPunto Advertising, and a long-time volunteer for the American Heart Association. His firm has developed many of our Latino advertising and marketing campaigns.
He explains, "The WSA HEQ Task Force is a powerful entity; you never know who you will end up helping or when the information learned will allow you to improve the health of others; the impact can be immediate as well as long term. I believe it's a duty of those in a position to help to do so. And it feels great to contribute!"
We asked him for details about the new Health Equity Task Force, which is pictured at its inaugural meeting in the Los Angeles office on Oct. 26.
Q: How will this group improve our outreach efforts?
A: We think the high-caliber individuals involved in the Task Force will be able to extend the WSA’s reach into local neighborhoods by identifying and recruiting volunteers and people of influence. You can see the impressive list of members below.
Q: Who are the members and how were they chosen?
A: The affiliate board chairman and president appointed me as chairman and together we recruited members for the Task Force. They have demonstrated strong leadership and experience working with the diverse communities throughout the WSA. They are advocates for health and wellness within the diverse communities. The Task Force reports to the affiliate board of directors.
Q: What will the Task Force do?
A: We will be taking diverse programs to a new level – building on the strong foundation established by community volunteers and Health Equity staff. It will involve identifying, developing and evaluating programs to reach communities disproportionately impacted by cardiovascular disease and stroke and providing strategies to implement these priority programs where they are needed the most. We will work on fund raising strategies and assist in securing funding for programs to serve the diverse populations in the WSA.
Q: Can the Task Force help my community?
A: Help us identify where Health Equity programs are needed the most. Send your comments to the Health Equity staff.
HEALTH EQUITY TASK FORCE MEMBERS:
Enrique Turegano, Chairman
alPunto Advertising
Tustin, California
Joni Byun, Vice-Chairman
Sr. VP, Nakatomi & Associates
Santa Monica, California
Sherice Bellamy
SLB Media Associates
Los Angeles, California
Stephen Kalani Brady, M.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Native Hawaiian Health
University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine
Honolulu, Hawaii
Ninfa Delgado
Vice President of Programs
Riverside Community Foundation
Riverside, California
Victoria Fletcher, R.N., M.S.N., A.R.N.P.
Director of Health Services
Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, Washington
Isauro Gonzalez
U.S. Bank VP Multicultural Market
for Arizona, Nevada and Sacramento
Phoenix, Arizona
Karen Hart, M.D.
Family Practitioner
Sacramento, California
Vanessa Nelson Hill, M.S., R.N.
Clinical Nurse Instructor
Arizona State University and
Administrator of Black Nurses Association
Phoenix, Arizona
Ivy Kam, Ph.D.
Regional Scientific Associate Director
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Emeryville, California
David Lee, M.D.
Interventional Cardiologist
Stanford Interventional Cardiology
Stanford, California
William Jahmal Miller, M.H.A.
Communications Manager
Community Benefit, Health Policy & Research
Kaiser Permanente - National Program Office
Oakland, California
Mai N. Nguyen-Huynh, M.D., M.A.S.
Director Primary Stroke Center at Kaiser Walnut Creek
Research Scientist, Kaiser Division of Research
Assistant Professor of Neurology, UCSF
Jackie Ng-Osorio
Research Associate at Kamehameha Schools
Honolulu, Hawaii
Gisella Nancy Olivo
Pump Up Life
Laguna Niguel, California
Adriana Perez, Ph.D., A.N.P.
Assistant Professor and Southwest Borderlands Scholar at Arizona State University
College of Nursing and Health Innovation
Phoenix, Arizona
Martha Preciado, M.D., F.A.C.C.
Preciado Cardiology, Inc.
Los Angeles, California
Robert Urata, M.D.
Family Practitioner
Valley Medical Care
Juneau, Alaska
Mila Velasquez R.N., C.S., A.P.R.N., B.C.
Nurse Executive
Health Care Services International, Inc.
Cerritos, California
Sherry E. Williams, M.P.A.
Community Affairs Director
Swedish Medical Center
Seattle, Washington
