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Building Collaborative Community Projects

At Northridge Hospital Medical Center, we’re leveraging local resources and developing effective strategies that assist children, adults and families. Always with a goal of improving population health.

 

Center for Healthier Communities

In 1997, Northridge Hospital Medical Center established the Center for Healthier Communities (CHC) as a department of the hospital. Through high quality prevention education, innovative solutions, and treatment services, CHC strives to promote healthy behaviors and improve unmet health needs for residents of the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys.

Mission Statement

CHC provides public health and wellness programs to changing needs of our community based on a triennial Community Health Needs Assessment report to enhance the San Fernando Valley’s potential to be healthier, safer, and stronger.

What we do

School Wellness Initiative


This initiative was launched in 2006 to help reduce the rate of obesity and related chronic diseases among public school students, their parents and teachers in the high need communities of the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County. Launched initially in five Los Angeles Unified School District schools, collaborative efforts are now in 34 public schools. Efforts include workshops, monthly school wellness newsletter, and the Great Kindness Challenge – an anti-bullying campaign.

 

For more information on future classes, please contact Diane Estrada at (818) 718-5951 or [email protected].

Center for Assault Treatment Services

The Center for Assault Treatment Services  (C⋅A⋅T⋅S), located in Van Nuys, is a program of Dignity Health – Northridge Hospital, which has treated children and adults affected by violence since 1997. C⋅A⋅T⋅S provides forensic medical evidentiary examinations, and interviews for victims of sexual and domestic violence 24/7. All services are free of charge to the victims. C⋅A⋅T⋅S is a team member of the local designated Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) and Domestic Assault Response Team (DART). Our trained staff provides outreach education on identifying and reporting suspected cases of abuse.

Prevention Forward Healthy Lifestyles Program

Prevention Forward is a free grant-funded program of Dignity Health - Northridge Hospital’s Center for Healthier Communities to put prevention first and help you learn how to better take care of yourself. We invite you to participate if you are 19-85 years old and have any of the following conditions: pre-diabetes, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure or stroke.

You will learn how to self-manage your condition, improve outcomes, and prevent setbacks in your recovery.

Subjects covered include:

  1. Techniques to deal with problems such as frustration, fatigue, pain and isolation
  2. Appropriate exercise for maintaining and improving strength, flexibility, and endurance
  3. Appropriate use of medications
  4. Communicating effectively with family, friends, and health professionals
  5. Nutrition
  6. Decision making
  7. How to evaluate new treatments. Joining Prevention Forward will be one of the best things you can do for yourself this year.

For more information on future classes, please contact Dilian Guardado at (818) 885-8500 ext 3931 or [email protected]

Domestic Violence and Abuse Prevention

Domestic violence and abuse prevention includes one-time workshops and evidence based classes that equip community members to identify the signs of abuse, risk factors, and how to seek help if they or someone they know if being abused. Safe Dates is an evidence-based program that teaches high school students to prevent dating violence. Our domestic violence and sexual assault workshops at schools and community organizations empower participants to take steps to break cycles of violence and find support for themselves and/or loved ones.

 

For more information on future classes, please contact Gina D'Aquilla at (818) 908-8632 or [email protected].

Local Elder Abuse Prevention Enhanced Multidisciplinary Team

The San Fernando Valley Local Elder Abuse Prevention Enhanced Multidisciplinary Team (LEAP-EMDT) brings together professionals from a multitude of disciplines and systems to stop elder abuse at the earliest possible juncture. The primary focus for team members is to identify and intervene in cases of physical, sexual, emotional, neglect, and financial elder abuse. Together, team members achieve this through coordinated case reviews and tailored responses to each abuse situation.

 

LEAP EDMT recently hosted an Elder Abuse and Fraud Prevention workshop in late January. It was a great success with 146 attendees on zoom! To view the session, click here.

 

For more information on LEAP-EMDT, please contact Katherine Thomas at (818) 718- 5911 or [email protected].

Vaccinate LA Collaborative

The Vaccinate LA Collaborative was formed from grant funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The Vaccinate LA Collaborative works towards meeting the needs of vulnerable and underserved communities in the San Fernando Valley that are impacted by the pandemic. We host pop-up vaccine clinics and conduct outreach and education on COVID-19. In addition, we encourage community members to get vaccinated. Incentives are available to individuals who receive a COVID-19 vaccination at any of our pop-up vaccine clinics.

 

For more information on Vaccinate LA Collaborative, please contact Jessica Martinez at (818) 718-5951 or [email protected].

COVID-19 Outreach & Education

The COVID-19 Outreach & Education team is funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to slow the spread of COVID-19 by promoting preventive behaviors, providing up-to-date information and dispelling myths and misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic. Outreach and education is conducted through educational workshops, community events, monthly electronic newsletters, and social media posts. Invite Our Team to Your Next Community Event! 

Our COVID -19 Education and Outreach Team Provides: 

  • Up to date information on COVID-19
  • Distribution of PPE items and resources.
  • Workshops tailored for your organization's or business's specific needs on COVID-19

For more information or to subscribe to our newsletter, contact Dilian Guardado at (818) 885-8500 ext 3931 or [email protected].

Listos CA

“Listos” means “Ready” in Spanish. Listos California is funded by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and is on a mission to prepare Californians for wildfires, floods, earthquakes, droughts, heatwaves, and other disasters. Listos California engages a statewide network of community-based organizations and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) to boost resiliency, and provide accessible and culturally disaster preparedness.

 

Data demonstrates that older adults, seniors and their caregivers are at higher risk of injury and disaster-related deaths. The team at the Center for Healthier Communities works alongside agencies that work with directly with the older community in high disaster risk cities.

 

For more information on Listos CA, please contact Tere Morales at (818) 718-5939 or [email protected].

STOP School Violence: LA School Empowerment Program

The BJA STOP School Violence program is a three year grant that is federally funded by the Bureau of Justice Administration. This grant is designed to improve school security by providing students and teachers with the tools they need to recognize, respond quickly to, and help prevent acts of violence. The overarching goal of this program is to address specific areas of concern related to preventing and reducing school violence and increasing school safety. We will reach our goals by training school personnel on two evidence based curricula Safe Dates and Positive Action); educating students on preventing violence against themselves and others; providing free educational workshops to the parent community, virtually or in person; providing counseling services through our partner; San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center Inc.; and hosting school-wide awareness campaigns at our Los Angeles Unified School District partnered school sites.

 

For more information on LA School Empowerment Program, please contact Alma Huerta at (818) 718-5987 or [email protected]