HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — Every door knock is an opportunity for Bryan Giraldo to help communities beat the pandemic.

“People on the outside might say they’re fine, but once you build that trust and connection they might share details and things they might need,” said Giraldo, a promoter — or "promotora."

Promotoras are based in communities they're connected to. Their mission is to blend in with the community, build trust and maintain relationships with residents.

Giraldo closely works alongside four other people: Maria Roscio Matla, Rosalba Lezo, Santiago Pedraza and their supervisor, Arturo Diaz. Giraldo, Matla, Lezo and Pedraza work for Hoag Hospital’s Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living. It’s a collaborative of providers helping underserved individuals and families with health, mental health and spiritual services. 

They work with underserved communities like the Oak View neighborhood in Huntington Beach, where they’ve been encouraging people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We’re doing our best to make the appointments and all that stuff available to them at their doorstep,” said Giraldo.

They’ve knocked on close to 2,000 doors. Not everyone that opens their door for them is open to help the first time, but Giraldo considers each interaction a chance to earn trust.

"We did register him for an appointment," said Giraldo after meeting one community member. "We gave him additional information for his family members that might not be here, but may want the vaccine."

Many of the tenants in the neighborhood struggled to make ends meet even before the pandemic. There are multiple families living in each unit and adults who are juggling more than one job. In many cases, Giraldo says people don’t have access to the internet and can’t travel far to get their vaccines.

To address their needs, the promotoras walk the neighborhoods with their laptops scheduling appointments for anyone who is interested.

“You don’t want to say something and not follow through. So the important thing is following through. That’s how you build that trust,” said Giraldo.

If the residents don’t open their doors the first time, Giraldo and his colleagues will leave informational flyers and come back another time. Giraldo joined this team four months ago, after working inside an office for the Hoag network for six years. He says his family struggled when he was growing up.

“My parents didn’t let us know because they didn’t want to apply too much stress on my sister, and so I feel like these resources are ones they didn’t know were available to them that I want to share with the community,” he said.

As of this week, California has reached a milestone of vaccinating more than 50% of its population. Determined to get more people protected from the virus, Giraldo noted that he and his coworkers are doing what they can to promote the vaccine and to build lasting relationships with the community they serve and care about.

Here is more information on the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living and the Promotoras Program:

• Hoag annually contributes millions of dollars and in-kind services to a wide spectrum of community non-profit organizations. From free health clinics, food banks and mobile dental visits, to family support services, mental health wellness and legal support, Hoag partners with organizations that focus on Orange County’s vulnerable, underserved individuals and families.
• Hoag’s Community Benefit program has given approximately $261 million to more than 100 local programs and services.
• In 2016, Hoag opened the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Health Living – a place where multiple nonprofit health care and social services agencies can operate under one roof – and today nearly three dozen providers offer life-changing services from the Center, addressing needs as varied as family law, dentistry, fitness and spiritual wellness.
• The Hoag Community Benefit Promotora Program help families navigate and access community services and adopt healthy behaviors.
• While many programs exist to help low-income families access health care, mental health services, nutrition education, transportation, translation and legal services, the individuals and families who need them often don’t know about them.
• Many promotoras programs exist throughout Southern California, but the connection to Hoag offers community members — and the promotoras themselves — access to an incredible network of high-quality services and compassionate expertise.

For more information, visit here.