SALINAS – Salinas Valley Health hosted a health-inspired celebration Sunday aiming to engage the community to promote health, volunteerism and community spirit while showcasing its commitment to provide quality health care.
“We want families to know that Salinas Valley Health provides exceptional care to everyone in our community and that commitment comes from being a part of the community,” said Dr. Allen Radner, Salinas Valley Health interim CEO, in an email. “Our Mobile Clinic team is a familiar and trusted medical resource for hundreds of families. Events like these also give people a chance to interact with our staff in a fun way outside of a clinical setting.”
The inaugural Salinas Valley Health Community Health Day drew hundreds to the Salinas Regional Soccer Complex according to Karina Rusk, Salinas Valley Health spokeswoman. She added that the event was a huge success on a number of fronts and will become an annual event.
The goal of the event was two-fold in that it provided the community a fun day focused on health, wellness, and volunteer opportunities, while giving the Salinas Valley Health staff an organized, enjoyable outlet to give back to the community, said Rusk. The Community Health Day is an initiative designed by Salinas Valley Health staff. Called RISE – Real Impact through Staff Engagement – the idea is to help the community “rise” in good health.
The inaugural event was bolstered by Salinas Valley Health staff raising $3,350 to purchase the 756 soccer balls that were signed and given away by local university and community college soccer players.
“Women and men soccer stars from CSUMB and Hartnell College were on-hand to autograph soccer balls and hand them out to kids after Salinas Valley Health staff raised enough money to buy more than 700 soccer balls,” said Rusk. “Lots of service lines from the Medical Center were on hand along with the Mobile Clinic providing free medical check ups. Blue Zones Project Monterey County was also on hand to lead a complex clean-up.”
Rusk said the soccer ball giveaway brought many smiles to the youth as many of those in attendance play soccer at the complex but have no soccer ball of their own at home, “so this was a great way to encourage and support that healthy physical activity.”
The health day event also featured community health resources including the SVH Mobile Clinic, and enlisted volunteers for the clean up.
Community Health Day also kicked off Volunteer Appreciation Week with the Salinas Regional Soccer Complex clean-up held in conjunction with Blue Zones Project Monterey County.
“We know that an active lifestyle is key to preventing disease,” said Tiffany DiTullio, Salinas Valley Health’s chief administrative officer, in a press release. “This event brings so many elements of good health together at one location and is a great way to engage and connect with our community in a meaningful way.”
The Salinas Regional Soccer Complex is one of the Mobile Clinics regular weekly locations and provides people with the opportunity to see medical professionals free of charge, get a flu vaccine, sports physicals, health screenings and more, according to Salinas Valley Health.Since it launched in 2020, the Mobile Clinic has provided more than 15,000 patient visits to medically underserved pockets of Monterey County.
A variety of health and resource tables were also available at the Community Health Day event including experts and information on drug use disorder and the fentanyl crisis in the community. Salinas Valley Health emergency room providers educated the public and gave away free Narcan – a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose.
