Alma First

?? Volunteer Opportunity for Pre-Health Students: Join Us in Shaping the Future of Digital Health! ?? In celebration of National Latino/a Physician Day (NLPD), we are excited to recruit new Alma First Fellows from the Central Valley. NLPD serves as a powerful reminder of the critical role that Latino/a healthcare professionals play in medicine and the broader healthcare space. By becoming a fellow, you will gain invaluable experience and contribute to a movement that champions representation and diversity in healthcare. This is your opportunity to be part of a vital initiative that uplifts the voices of Latino professionals and enhances culturally competent care. Our team at Alma First has developed a new program, Salud Interconectada, which aims to support patients by helping them access their patient portals and connect with doctors during in-person visits. As a volunteer, you will: ? Provide one-on-one assistance to patients in navigating their patient portals. ? Offer guidance to Spanish-speaking patients on digital tools to improve their healthcare access. ? Play a key role in bridging the digital divide and supporting underserved communities. Why volunteer? Gain valuable experience in digital health, patient education, and healthcare access. Build connections with healthcare professionals and fellow pre-health students. Make a direct impact on the lives of patients. If you’re passionate about healthcare and want to grow your skills in digital health, apply by Monday, October 14, 2024 at 11:59 PM! We look forward to having you on our team! #DigitalHealth #VolunteerOpportunity #PreHealthStudents #CentralValley #Fresno #HealthEquity #PatientCare ? Registration Form: https://lnkd.in/gaBm4E3c

??Read my first blog post celebrating National Latino Physician Day!!?????? Thank you California Health Care Foundation for helping me highlight the urgent need for more Latino doctors in clinics and innovation spaces! CALL TO ACTION: Startups focused on the Latino community: invite a Latino physician to your advisory board and gain true on the ground insight to design culturally/ linguisticly competent digital health products! Can’t find #latinodocs? This is why I co-founded Alma First, to create a pathway for clinicians to become digital health equity champions. Check out our new website: almafirst.com or send me a DM and let’s collaborate! Vanessa Villaverde Edmondo Robinson Megan Mahoney, MD, MBA Kameron Matthews, MD, JD, FAAFP Janna Guinen Matthew Sakumoto Dr. Geeta Nayyar, MD, MBA Adimika Arthur Aditi U Joshi MD, MSc, FACEP Michael Galvez, MD Saranya Loehrer, MD, MPH Margarita Loeza, MD MPH Pooja Mittal Alister Martin Burgess Harrison, MBA Félix Manuel Chinea, MD Kelli Tice, MD Jodi Rosen Erik Pupo Sarah Lopez, MD, MBA Yele Aluko MD, MBA, FACC, FSCAI. Lalita Abhyankar, MD Mauricio Simbeck Luis Belen Sarita Mohanty, MD, MPH, MBA Chris Hiromura Chris Spearman Taylor McPartland Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP Liz Rockett Rebekah E. Gee MD MPH Vanessa Villaverde Hilda Martinez Willie Williams Yimdriuska (Gigi) Magan MD, MPH, CPH Betty Anita Marie Dominguez, EMBA Daniel Edelman #NationallatinophysicianDay #nationallatinaphysicianday #almafirst #digitalnavigation #DiversityInHealthcare #HealthcareStartups #RepresentationMatters

?I am excited to share this article by Jhaimy Fernandez, MD my co-founder at Alma First, highlighting the need for increased Latino representation in medicine and technology, especially as we celebrate National Latino Physician Day today ?????? ? #NLPD As an immigrant who attended college in the Central Valley, I understand firsthand the barriers many in our community face when seeking healthcare. In California, Latinos make up nearly 40% of the population and are projected to continue increasing by 2050. Yet, despite this growth, only about 6% of physicians are Latino/x. As part of the 2.3% of Latina physicians in the United States, I know that we need more representation in both medicine and technology to ensure culturally and linguistically competent care that resonates with our diverse communities, and improves health outcomes for all. I invite students from the Central Valley and beyond to apply to our next Alma First cohort. Together, we can work toward bridging this digital divide and building a future where accessible, equitable healthcare is a reality for all. Let's leverage technology to meet our community where they are and ensure that our voices and experiences shape the future of medicine and digital health. If you're interested in becoming part of this transformative journey, visit almafirst.com for more information. #LatinoRepresentation #DigitalHealthEquity #AlmaFirst #NationalLatinoPhysicianDay #HealthEquity #LatinaPhysicians #URiM Vanessa Villaverde Willie Williams Luis Belen Heath Naquin Adimika Arthur Jhaimy Fernandez, MD Janna Guinen Erik Pupo Michael Penn Burgess Harrison, MBA Colby R. Takeda Anita Marie Dominguez, EMBA Joy Rios Sylvia Trujillo MPP JD Enid Picart, MD University of California, Davis - School of Medicine University of California, Merced Ilan Shapiro MD MBA FAAP FACHE Efrain Talamantes

?? Join Us for a Livestream Event! ?? ?? When: 7-8 PM PST on October 1, 2024 ?? Where: Instagram Live @jhaimyfernandez Join us as we celebrate National Latino/a Physician Day by highlighting the intersection of health and technology! ?? If you can attend in person, we'd love to connect with you. Register HERE: https://lu.ma/g75rktf2. If you're not in the area, no problem! Join us online—everyone is welcome! ? Why Tech Professionals Should Attend: Discover the clinical challenges Latino patients face in the safety net and learn how technology can be leveraged to create meaningful solutions. ? Why Clinicians Should Attend: Explore how embracing technology in a culturally and linguistically competent way can enhance your practice and encourage patient adoption. Let’s work together to create more inclusive, accessible healthcare for all! #HealthEquity #CulturallyCompetentCare #DigitalHealth #LatinoHealth #HealthTech #NLPD

& the kickoff at Rock Health Summit 2024 has begun! We are excited to see what our Alma First Fellows will learn! #RHSummit24 #DigitalHealth #HealthEquity Leslie Avilez | Jhaimy Fernandez, MD |Yesenia Méndez Buenrostro | Brianna Flores | Betty Villantay, MSc

? One year ago, our Co-Founder Dr. Jhaimy Fernandez, and pre-medical student Cynthia Montoya took a simple yet impactful step. Together, they helped a Latina patient with uncontrolled diabetes access her healthcare portal, ensuring she received the care she needed. This small act of connection marked the beginning of something much bigger. ?? Today, with the help of Co-Founder Yimdriuska (Gigi) Magan MD, MPH, CPH innovative curriculum, we proudly stand with three cohorts of digital health equity experts specializing in culturally congruent navigation. Our mission? To foster digital health adoption that uplifts marginalized communities. And now, we’re thrilled to unveil a name that truly reflects our mission and values: ?? ???????? ????????, ????????????!! ?? ???????? ??????????: ?????????????? ????????, ?????????? ??????????. “Alma” means soul in Spanish, embodying our commitment to leading with kindness and heart in every patient interaction. We believe that all digital health companies should embrace this mindset: to design with soul first, with ???????? ??????????. Thank you for being a part of our journey. With your support, we will continue bridging the digital divide and making healthcare more equitable for all. Here’s to the next chapter! #AlmaFirst #DigitalHealth #HealthEquity #RockHealthSummit @RockHealthSummit2024 Vanessa Villaverde Willie Williams Adimika Arthur Luis Belen Heath Naquin Janna Guinen Burgess Harrison, MBA Kameron Matthews, MD, JD, FAAFP Matthew Sakumoto Joy Rios John Moore III Chethan Sarabu, MD Laura I. Gómez Edmondo Robinson Mauricio Simbeck Erik Cardenas Deonta Wortham Luis Emilio Suarez Lalita Abhyankar, MD Yulkendy Valdez (She-Her) Félix Manuel Chinea, MD Adriana Soto Ospina Alison Cerezo Jesus Torres Marvyn Arévalo Avalos Stella Tran Hilda Martinez Luis Emilio Suarez Colby R. Takeda

?? We had a fantastic experience representing the Digital Health Equity Ambassador Program at the 16th Annual Senior Health Fair at the Montebello The Y (YMCA)! Connecting with the community members and sharing insights on digital health equity was truly rewarding. Thanks to Sanarai we were able to offer free initial consultations with a psychologist, providing Spanish-speaking seniors with essential mental health support through their generous discount code. Additionally, we utilized Pear Suite’s advanced care navigation platform to collect and manage information from seniors, helping us to better assist them in navigating digital health resources and overcoming barriers to healthcare access. The feedback we gathered on the challenges seniors face with digital health tools will be instrumental in refining our platform to better serve their needs. Our mission is to make healthcare more accessible, equitable, and user-friendly for everyone. A heartfelt thank you to all the ambassadors, Betty Villantay, MSc, Denisse Nepamuceno, and Lorena Gonzalez, who participated! Your dedication is vital in bridging the digital divide and ensuring that essential health resources are available to all. ???? #DigitalHealthEquity #CommunityEngagement #HealthcareAccess #SeniorHealth #DigitalInclusion #HealthForAll

A heartfelt thank you to Co-founder Jhaimy Fernandez, MD, and Ambassadors Lorena Gonzalez and Alexandra Perez?for attending the Mental Health Fair in #Wilmington, especially in such high temperatures. With Sanarai's support—a #mentalhealth startup—we successfully signed up around 11 community members for a free first Zoom session with Spanish-speaking psychologists in real-time. We provided another 9 with free codes for self-enrollment. We educated and surveyed individuals on their experience using computers/tablets/phones for medical services, such as through #telehealth visits. We faced some challenges, as many individuals needed basic guidance on using their phones and emails and managing passwords, but this experience highlighted the importance of meeting people where they are on their respective journeys and has provided valuable insights for planning future events and anticipating community needs.??? ?? ?? #DigitalHealthEquity #DHEAP

On Saturday, July 13th, our students will take on the challenge of exploring and teaching the concept of Digital Health in both Spanish and English at Harbor UCLA's Community Health Fair. This event is particularly crucial for individuals in underserved communities, where digital health is a new and unfamiliar concept. In these communities, there is a significant gap in knowledge, not only in health literacy but also in digital literacy. Given that technology plays a crucial role as a social determinant of health, this partnership with Delete The Divide is a significant step toward #digitalhealthequity and promoting better well-being in our community while also providing an opportunity to win a laptop through a raffle! Furthermore, the kind donation of 40 Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM's) by the Harbor-UCLA Department of Family Medicine will enable our students to effectively teach the concept of digital health. Follow us on our journey for live updates of the event tomorrow!

But wait, there’s more!? Join us today at 11:45 AM PDT to hear from Jhaimy Fernandez, MD and Yimdriuska (Gigi) Magan MD, MPH, CPH, co-founders of the Digital Health Equity Ambassador Program ? Are you curious about the program? Tune in! In partnership with the California Telehealth Resource Center, Dr. Fernandez and Dr. Magan will share their journey, advocacy efforts for digital health equity, and how you can be involved. Their discussion will conclude the CTRC’s Summit 2024 on its final day, and it is an event you don’t want to miss! Register here: https://lnkd.in/gFHfnET9 Use Code DigitalEquity2024 at checkout to have your ticket completely waived ?? California Telehealth Resource Center #DigitalHealthEquity #CTRCsummit