More than 100 attendees joined us for the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund’s (SJVHF) first briefing on the impacts of climate change—from unprecedented devastating floods to wildfires—on disproportionately vulnerable rural and unincorporated communities across the Valley. The event took place on October 17 at the Center’s Fresno office.
The Center’s president Kaying Hang gave opening remarks for the event, reiterating the organization’s commitment to fortifying the region’s ability to bring in resources and ensure its residents’ well-being. “The one way to make sure that you have access to fair and sustainable resources is through policy change,” she said. “That is why at the heart of the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund’s [approach] is the ability to work together, to advocate, organize and bring awareness and demand for resources into the region.”
The event’s speakers, which included worker’s rights legend Dolores Huerta, discussed collaborative strategies and policy solutions to resource and support impacted communities for future climate challenges. The event featured several prominent panel discussions from partners in the San Joaquin Valley, as well as key elected officials such as State Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula, District Representative Luis Martinez and City of Muron mayor Rey Leon.
“This is only the beginning of many more policy briefings we are planning to have,” explained Reyna Villalobos, who serves as Managing Director of Regional Programs. Further, she emphasized the power of cross-level collaboration to achieve change, noting that the kickoff event “only scratched the surface” of what they hope to accomplish with the programming.
“We will [continue to convene] communities, partners and elected representatives in one room,” she concluded.