The annual Colorado Health Symposium, hosted by the Colorado Health Foundation, is a little over a week away. I am delighted to announce that Colors of Influence has been selected for a Social Media Fellowship. I am one of five social media experts from nonprofits or publications working in social change selected to participate in one of the top national health policy conferences, in person.
This year's theme, "Let's Talk About... Inequity," is of important significance, considering the ever-mounting challenges in health and healthcare access among diverse communities, particularly communities of color. Beyond the current and immediate healthcare issues looming in the political landscape, the Symposium seeks to take a broader and deeper look at inequity at all levels of the health and healthcare system, focusing on various social determinants of health for underserved and underresourced communities.
In a week from now, I will be using social media to share my learnings from the Symposium in Keystone, Colorado, at about 9,000 feet* altitude. Right now, while still in my Aurora home office at 5,360 feet, I share some musings about my own journey in community and professional work in the healthcare field. I hope to provide some background about why this work is personally meaningful and important to me.
Throughout my career and advocacy work on behalf of communities of color, healthcare has always been front and center of the struggle. At the Mental Health Center of Denver, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with staff on establishing Employee Resource Groups that served as peer learning networks to develop informed and engaged approaches to addressing the needs of people we serve. Key to my work for Oregon Health and Science University's (OHSU) Center for Diversity and Inclusion is providing communications and marketing support for recruitment and retention programs that ensure a robust pipeline of healthcare providers and professionals who have the training and skills to serve diverse communities in a culturally competent manner.
In 2014 and 2015, I had the privilege of working with staff and volunteers of the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon to secure institutional and financial support from OHSU for the State of Cultural Competency Community Forum. I am always grateful for the learning and professional development I acquired as part of the exemplary Communications Team at CareOregon, the state's largest administrator of Medicaid and Medicare programs.
My own family's journey to the United States began with a healthcare workforce crisis in the '70s and '80s that drove many of America's large hospitals and hospital systems to recruit skilled and credentialed nursing staff from the Philippines. Educational standards and curricula for nursing-degree-granting institutions in the Philippines mirror and sometimes even surpass the rigor of U.S.-based programs, resulting in highly skilled professionals who are ready to deliver the best care for American patients, cultural nuances notwithstanding.
My mother, Gloria Dumelod Hamto, graduated at the top of her class from the School of Nursing of the University of the Philippines - Manila in 1987. She subsequently topped the Philippine Nursing Licensure Board Exam, earning the highest marks among thousands of test-takers. In 1989, she accepted a position at Tomball Regional Hospital, just outside of Houston, Texas. In 1992, after three years of family separation and waiting for our immigration papers to "arrive," my father, brother and I joined Mama to begin our new lives in Houston, as new Americans.
I share this personal story because it shows the intersection of policy issues that exist in seemingly disparate realms. In current discourse. there appears to be wide gaps in our collective understanding of immigration and healthcare policies, when in fact, there are many interrelated narratives that thread many of our experiences with these and other complex systems.
Having recently completed my second master's degree in Healthcare Management from OHSU. I am eager to continue the work of advocacy and support for health and healthcare issues that impact diverse communities, especially communities of color, immigrant and refugee communities. Here in my new home in Colorado, I hope to contribute to amplifying the great work being done on the ground by organizations focusing on various aspects of health outcomes.
At the Colorado Health Symposium, I am looking forward to sessions that boldly address institutional inequities, implicit bias, power dynamics and privilege.
The live Symposium is full, but you can sign up to watch the panels and presentations online, for free. The good people at the Colorado Health Foundation are streaming the Symposium live from Keystone, Colorado on August 2 to 4.
Join the convo on social media:
(Note: Citing elevation and altitude is a very Colorado thing. The entire state is a geological wonder; the result of millions of years of tectonic activity that have pushed mountain ranges of rock to reach heights over 14,000 feet.)
This year's theme, "Let's Talk About... Inequity," is of important significance, considering the ever-mounting challenges in health and healthcare access among diverse communities, particularly communities of color. Beyond the current and immediate healthcare issues looming in the political landscape, the Symposium seeks to take a broader and deeper look at inequity at all levels of the health and healthcare system, focusing on various social determinants of health for underserved and underresourced communities.
In a week from now, I will be using social media to share my learnings from the Symposium in Keystone, Colorado, at about 9,000 feet* altitude. Right now, while still in my Aurora home office at 5,360 feet, I share some musings about my own journey in community and professional work in the healthcare field. I hope to provide some background about why this work is personally meaningful and important to me.
Throughout my career and advocacy work on behalf of communities of color, healthcare has always been front and center of the struggle. At the Mental Health Center of Denver, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with staff on establishing Employee Resource Groups that served as peer learning networks to develop informed and engaged approaches to addressing the needs of people we serve. Key to my work for Oregon Health and Science University's (OHSU) Center for Diversity and Inclusion is providing communications and marketing support for recruitment and retention programs that ensure a robust pipeline of healthcare providers and professionals who have the training and skills to serve diverse communities in a culturally competent manner.
In 2014 and 2015, I had the privilege of working with staff and volunteers of the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon to secure institutional and financial support from OHSU for the State of Cultural Competency Community Forum. I am always grateful for the learning and professional development I acquired as part of the exemplary Communications Team at CareOregon, the state's largest administrator of Medicaid and Medicare programs.
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| Mama and I at the 2014 diversity luncheon for OHSU graduates |
My mother, Gloria Dumelod Hamto, graduated at the top of her class from the School of Nursing of the University of the Philippines - Manila in 1987. She subsequently topped the Philippine Nursing Licensure Board Exam, earning the highest marks among thousands of test-takers. In 1989, she accepted a position at Tomball Regional Hospital, just outside of Houston, Texas. In 1992, after three years of family separation and waiting for our immigration papers to "arrive," my father, brother and I joined Mama to begin our new lives in Houston, as new Americans.
I share this personal story because it shows the intersection of policy issues that exist in seemingly disparate realms. In current discourse. there appears to be wide gaps in our collective understanding of immigration and healthcare policies, when in fact, there are many interrelated narratives that thread many of our experiences with these and other complex systems.
Having recently completed my second master's degree in Healthcare Management from OHSU. I am eager to continue the work of advocacy and support for health and healthcare issues that impact diverse communities, especially communities of color, immigrant and refugee communities. Here in my new home in Colorado, I hope to contribute to amplifying the great work being done on the ground by organizations focusing on various aspects of health outcomes.
At the Colorado Health Symposium, I am looking forward to sessions that boldly address institutional inequities, implicit bias, power dynamics and privilege.
The live Symposium is full, but you can sign up to watch the panels and presentations online, for free. The good people at the Colorado Health Foundation are streaming the Symposium live from Keystone, Colorado on August 2 to 4.
Join the convo on social media:
- Hashtag: #17CHS
- Colorado Health Symposium on Twitter
- On Instagaram, follow @COHealthFDN or view our stream online at instagram.com/cohealthfdn
- Colorado Health Foundation Facebook Page
- Twitter list of 2017 speakers
- Twitter list of 2017 attendees
- YouTube Livestream
(Note: Citing elevation and altitude is a very Colorado thing. The entire state is a geological wonder; the result of millions of years of tectonic activity that have pushed mountain ranges of rock to reach heights over 14,000 feet.)