“I can finally go to the doctor.”

Recently a community member received a letter from the Orange County Social Services Agency and felt a wave of relief. After weeks of waiting, he was approved for Medi-Cal. He can now go to the doctor without losing a big chunk of his paycheck to visits he has been putting off.

Not long ago, the Medi-Cal application process felt complicated to me and many of our neighbors. Now it is something I can walk through with them, step by step. So far I have helped with three applications and one renewal, and each one reminds me how much stability can begin with a single piece of mail.

Unidos recently had the opportunity to send staff through Community Health Worker training, a program that equips us to help neighbors navigate systems that often feel inaccessible, from health coverage to follow-up care. It is practical support, learning how to listen well, ask the right questions, and help someone move from a confusing process to a completed application.

That training is already showing fruit. It has given me the knowledge and confidence to sit with someone, translate steps that feel overwhelming, and follow through until paperwork becomes access and access becomes care.


With a full heart, 
Miriam Zuniga
Lead Facilitator/Adult Program Director