Ventura Community Health Workers Stand Up for Quality Care, a Stronger Voice at Work

Dozens of community health workers, Oxnard residents and community activists gathered at a candlelight vigil in Oxnard Oct. 7 to highlight the need to strengthen healthcare services at Ventura County satellite clinics.   400 community health workers at Ventura County satellite clinics are joining together with SEIU 721 to have a stronger voice at work, to make improvements in the services they provide patients, and to gain access to affordable health care benefits for their families.

“I have been told countless times from Ventura County Medical Center health care workers that the resources and appropriate staffing they have are very different from what we have at the clinics,” said Silvia Aguilar, a medical assistant at West Ventura Satellite Clinic. “I want to be able to provide that same quality patient care.”

Job stability, affordable family medical coverage and a strong voice at work at Ventura County Medical Center have translated into high levels of treatment. The Ventura County health care delivery system has been rightfully described as the “model of care.”
By gaining a stronger voice at work to make improvements, clinic workers aim to raise the standards of care at the satellite clinics so communities with the most health care needs receive the same quality care as patients in other parts of the county.
Speakers included:
 * Jason Hodge
, Oxnard firefighter and candidate for Harbor Commission, talked about the importance of having a voice at work to advocate for better patient care;
 * Alicia Flores
, executive director of La Hermandad and board member of Congress of California Seniors, spoke about the Ventura labor movement’s roots in the farm worker struggle;
 * Marilyn Valenzuela
, executive secretary treasurer of the Tri-Counties Central Labor Council, talked about how all of labor is stronger with clinic workers form a union;
 * Ted “Bear” Perez
, Ventura Co. mental health associate and SEIU 721 executive board member, welcomed clinic workers into SEIU 721.

“We are caregivers from the moment the patient walks into the clinic,” said Patricia Coronado, a phlebotomist at Las Islas Clinic. “And because we care about people, we want Ventura County to care about us.”
For more information about how Ventura County satellite clinics are joining together with SEIU 721 to have a stronger voice at work, contact Judy Hermosillo at (213) 761-3374.