October 26, 2023

New Beginnings at Latino Center of the Midlands: Introducing Healthy Communities and Siembra Salud Programs

At the heart of the Latino Center of the Midlands, our commitment to fostering family and community well-being has always been pivotal. With this vision in mind, we’re thrilled to share some transformative changes at the Latino Center. In our ongoing efforts to better serve our community, we have restructured the Family and Community Well-being department into two distinct yet interconnected initiatives: Healthy Communities and Siembra Salud.

We are excited to announce that Siembra Salud will be guided by our new Siembra Salud Program Manager Bob Van Haute, bringing fresh insights and energy to deliver impactful initiatives for our community. Through its Family Gardening program and Siembra Salud, its youth internship component, Siembra Salud will continue to continue to provide education and training for families and community members to build, grow, and maintain their own culturally appropriate home gardens to address social determinants of health. Siembra Salud interns work alongside the Latino Center’s Family and Community Well-Being’s Siembra Salud program, and are introduced to the multiple facets of the Public Health field. Qualified students may also have the opportunity to become Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA).

We are also excited to announce that Healthy Communities, under our Family and Community Well-Being Manager Adriana Rodriguez, will continue to provide culturally appropriate education and enrichment opportunities. Through its Health and Wellness pillar and Social Integration pillar, Healthy Communities will continue to provide community collaborations, referrals, and implement health initiatives, such as mental health programming, mammogram screenings, flu clinics, and our annual Women’s Health Conference.

We want to reassure all our partners, families, and stakeholders that services will not be interrupted during this transition. Our priority remains steadfast:  the well-being of our community. This restructuring is merely a step towards refining our approach and enhancing the impact of our interventions.

For those who wish to dive deeper and learn more about these programs, or how you can be a part of this exciting phase, we welcome you to communicate with the teams of Healthy Communities and our new Siembra Salud Program Manager. You can reach Adriana Rodriguez, Family and Community Well-Being Manager at amrodriguez@latinocenter.org and Bob Van Haute, bvanhaute@latinocenter.org Siembra Salud Program Manager at Your insights, support, and partnership mean the world to us.

As we embark on this new journey, we eagerly look forward to collaborating with both new and existing program partners. Together, we aim to create a holistic ecosystem where each individual gets the care, support, and resources they need to thrive. We remain, as always, committed to serving and uplifting our community.