Transcript

So the good thing is you already know what you need to do and you're already doing it and, like, it's showing in your numbers. I've always wanted to help people in some kind of way but learning about public health and the umbrella and the many different ways that you can help and heal communities was something that I really wanted to be a part of. It means a lot to have someone come into your community who is really here for you. Let's give it another good spin. How many tries does it take for someone to successfully quit tobacco? Uh, ninety-nine? I'm going to say yes. Somewhere around 30 or more tries for the average person. I heard about Tino's quit smoking class via email. Good to see you. Good to see you too. I just found his commitment to fostering an environment where a group of people can learn very helpful. You bring a lot to the group. I feel better. I can think more clearly. I can smell again. It's the City of Berkeley. The public health division is concerned with the overall health of the community. We want folks to be able to live, thrive in Berkeley. Not just survive in Berkeley. What is unique about Berkeley's public health department is that Berkeley has their own public health department. You have various programs, and being in the same facility is very helpful because we collaborate. We serve African American women, postpartum and pregnant. The program is designed to eliminate health disparities. The Chill 'N Chat is a soft curriculum, the model of group therapy. We discuss various health topics. Healthy pregnancies, healthy relationships. It's Valentine's Day and we wanted to talk about self care and self love. I turned 30 this year, and I feel like, okay, now it's time for me to find a career. But it's good to, and that's a part of self-care. It's good to sit down and self-assess, right? It's like, wait a minute, I'm not in my 20s anymore. I'm 30 now. They learn from one another. You feel seen. You feel heard. It makes you feel connected. Today makes two years, six months, and five days. So, and I chose to be this better person for myself. And just so my grandmother can pass away peacefully. She was, like, I can, when she saw me clean she was, like, I can go home now. Life is short. You only get one life, just make it the best and make it the healthiest and the safest. When I talk about empowering our women it is to help give them a voice to advocate for themselves and learn how to navigate systems and make informed, healthy decisions for their families. Just post that where people sit and read. At the city of Berkeley WIC program our mission is to make sure that people have access to healthy foods when they're pregnant or when they're delivering or trying to breastfeed. Or trying to raise small children. People need to be able to feed their babies. Whether that's support with feeding their milk to their babies or formula. Are you breastfeeding right now? Yes. Do you have one of these? And folks need community. They need to feel a sense of belonging. Congratulations on a milestone, two and half months. She looks good, right? She looks so good. We're trying with our programs to meet some of those needs from like different angles, and part of that is just our staff. In Berkeley, it's unique. Because the staff is very diverse. We represent Berkeley. And we make sure that the participants feel welcome. Because the idea is to serve the client where they are. Here are the other activities here at the Center. We do have some enhanced services special to the Berkeley WIC program. And here are your diapers. to support our clientele and address some of the social determinants to health. I'm sure it's no news that diapers are expensive. And low income families struggle with that. So they can use their money for something else that they need. Berkeley WIC is special because it's like family a little bit. You know, they know my name, they know my kids' names. And they ask about me too, not just about my kids. They care about my mental health and they understand that me being good makes my kids be even better. You know, a person is not in a silo. They don't have just one need. If they need tobacco cessation that doesn't mean they don't need a blood pressure check. Or nutrition support. If they're food insecure, we make sure that they know about our partnership with the Berkeley Food Network. We're at the Berkeley Wellness Center. Thank you so much. Yeah, people don't have enough to eat. A lot of people don't have enough to eat. We sign them up. They give us as much of their name as they want to. And then how many people that they'll be feeding with the food they pick up. It's great to get fresh cheese, carrots, milk, the basics. We feel the love. We really do. We can't just start top down and decide, oh these are the services folks need. Everything that's happening here, this is based on feedback directly from our community members that we serve in focus groups that we did where you know we really valued how they want to direct what what this place is going to be. I believe in small changes, not in big changes. Because with small changes, you make big changes. We are helping over the long term. So, I'm a believer. I know that whenever I help people, it feels good, and I happen to get paid for it. That's pretty awesome, so I really, you know, that's how I see it. It's like that thing that, like, when you wake up in the morning it's like, "oh, I gotta go to work," but it's like for me it's like, "I get to go to work." It totally resonates with who I am. I feel like I don't want to retire. Come on Berkeley! Why would I retire? This is what I want to do. Yeah.