Speaker: Amanda Stevens, Lead Community Health Advocate
What do you think differentiates HCSEF from others? In other words, what makes us unique?
Amanda Stevens: What makes us unique here at the Health Council would definitely be our culture.
Kelvin Alexander: I think our accessibility makes makes us really unique and that we can be mobile and we can go to wherever the clients need us to be at at any time.
Carolina Alcala: The Health Council of Southeast Florida is unique in that our vision, mission and values align with advancing health equity, (and) is ingrained in every single thing that we do.
Taylor Santiago: The Health Council is very client centered They put a big emphasis on the Community Health Worker model, which I find very helpful when it comes to engaging with clients.
Lauren Verporter: I think one of the things that makes us unique is that staff really cares about the work they're doing, they're not just here for a paycheck, they are really concerned with the initiatives and programs that we work on.
Nicola Chung: We're nonjudgmental, our philosophy in helping the vulnerable population where we are bridging those gaps We're the one stop agency. We connect, we advocate, we help individuals. That's what makes us unique.
Monica Adelphonse: ways. Whether it's through research, health planning, disease prevention or even community health work, it ensures that the community has all of their needs met.
Renette Villanois: The Health Council of Southeast Florida is unique because of the different resources that they provide to the community.
Catherine Q Huynh: We do our work in churches, grocery stores, in parks. The Health Council of Southeast Florida is unique because we do our work where people live.
Joye Lewis: You actually get to go out and interact with those in the community
Lydia Vargas: so they really listen to what their staff has to say. And it's not just getting in numbers, making sure we meet everything because this is the job, it's about caring and having compassion for the workers as well as the work that's being done in the community.
Vicky Rossy: What makes us unique, The fact that we have so many services that we offer. So we offer health planning, capacity building, community engagement, just to name a few and community engagement is where I fit in.
Suzette Blake: What makes Health Council unique or stand out to me is that leadership has a genuine focus on employees to feel empowered to grow.
In the coming year, what opportunities do you see for HCSEF to shine or standout?
Taylor Santiago: In the coming year, I see that the Health Council will stand out with all the initiatives that we have right now with COVID vaccine, hesitancy, HIV prevention, opioid prevention.
Monica Adelphonse: Being able to engage the community by providing them with information that can help serve them. Whether it's through COVID information through COVID-19 or through HIV, they're able to make sure that the community stays informed about what is going on.
Amanda Stevens: So in the coming year, I think the Health Council could definitely utilize the media space to shed light on our many different programs and our initiatives.
Suzette Blake: Health Council of Southeast Florida has grown more employee and more projects undertaken. I am confident that Health Council of Southeast Florida will continue to grow and I'm proud to be a part of the team.
Marina Ford : and knowledge to share with the community. I see the health council in the future becoming more known to the community throughout its outreach and media promotions. Word of mouth will spread the good news that there is help one on one
Lauren Verporter: I think this year we could really stand out by staying involved in the community and continuing to provide the resources that they need in order to stay safe and healthy during the pandemic, as well as providing them with resources for everyday life to keep their head above water during all the inflation.
Kelvin Alexander: We'll have a program, new program up that we that we have that's coming up called Find Help Now. We'll be able to link clients quicker to the help that they need for the OD2A program. And I'm really excited about that one.
Nicola Chung: A media campaign to showcase the great work that we do. We're so passionate about the work we do, so we need someone to showcase that for us.
Carolina Alcala: And I look forward to with the Health Planning Department specifically really enhancing everything that we're doing and really innovating to maximize our impact even more.
Catherine Q Huynh: We do not give up. In issues relating to COVID-19 opioid overdose HIV AIDS. These are not easy to tackle. But at the Health Council of Southeast Florida, we remain diligent. We will continue to give information to our communities, our neighbors, We will not stop.
Joye Lewis: With everything that's going on right now the pandemic, the resources that we have to assist those we offer the rental assistance program. the FPL and water the grocery, the food assistance program, that's very big right now. A lot of people you know need that help and they don't really have that many places that they can go to for that. And we stand out because we actually offer that assistance.
Joye Lewis: So you know we're here we're here to help them and that makes a big deal.
You have many employment options. Why do you choose to work at HCSEF?
Marina Ford : Working at the Health Council gives you an inside wow factor that we are really helping people, all people, with outreached arms, open doors and a person to person understanding of the community's needs.
Carolina Alcala: The work that we do at the Health Council is really aligned with my core values, so I never feel, like my time or energy is wasted, and I feel like it's really going into making a difference with advancing health equity and reducing disparities, and really advocating on behalf of the underserved within our service area.
Amanda Stevens: My number one reason for working here would definitely be because of my passion and dedication to work within my community.
Catherine Q Huynh: At Health Council Southeast Florida, I could help impact a larger number of people. I could help impact the lives of our community. I could help impact the lives of my neighbors. This is the place I wanted to work
Taylor Santiago: They also know how to treat their employees. The Health Council is very flexible and understanding when it comes to health and wellness and family and priorities outside of work. And I really do appreciate that.
Suzette Blake: Health Council of Southeast Florida has a reputation that stands for excellence. Thank you.
Lauren Verporter: I really support the mission of our organization, and I also love the work environment, how everybody is treated equally and respectfully regardless of your position.
Monica Adelphonse: It creates an environment where it not just only serves the individual but also serves the community, and it's also vital in an eliminating health disparities
Nicola Chung: I like working here because it gives me great satisfaction to helping the people in need and Health Council allows me to do just that.
Renette Villanois: I went on the website and I looked at the website and I noticed that Health Council of Southeast Florida is all about the community and my goal is to help the community and Health Council of Southeast Florida will help me do just that.
Renette Villanois: It just makes me feel like I'm part of something
Joye Lewis: I like to reach out to my community and be a part of the community and just be able to provide and make everyone feel comfortable and not feel that they're alone. And I know that with this company, I can do that.
Lydia Vargas: I really appreciate that they listen and that they give feedback and they try to support the staff in any way possible and I just enjoy my time and I enjoy what I do here at the Health Council.
Kelvin Alexander: The Health Council gave me an opportunity when a lot of other places didn't that I had been searching for probably over a year for I finally got an opportunity to work with the Health Council. And and that just makes me be even more loyal to them because of the chance that they gave me. And I love and I love working for them.
Vicky Rossy: I love that, I love that I can work with any department and everybody is, we feel like family, that's the best way to put it. We feel like family.
