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Centro Hispano Daniel Torres – Hispanic Center of Reading and Berks County, PA 

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Empowering Community Care: Providing Medical Education and Case Work Assistance at a Spanish-Speaking Senior Center 
 
Student Intern:   
Joshua A. Salas, Drexel University College of Medicine at Tower Health 
 
Academic Preceptor:   
Holly Metzgar, DO, FACOG, NCMP, Drexel University College of Medicine at Tower Health 
 
Community Preceptors: 
Jeannie Rubero, Centro Hispano Daniel Torres 
Michael Toledo, Centro Hispano Daniel Torres 
 
Community Site: 
Centro Hispano Daniel Torres, a nonprofit serving the Greater Reading community since 1968, is dedicated to enhancing the well-being of the Latino population through various programs. One initiative provides children and seniors with access to nutritious meals and healthcare. The staff prepares and distributes about 3,000 meals a day. Centro Hispano also emphasizes creating safe environments and addressing youth and family violence through comprehensive support services. Key initiatives include the Casa de la Amistad Senior Center, which offers social and educational support along with case management, medication interpretation, and a Meals on Wheels program. In addition, Centro Hispano’s Higher Education Initiative and Scholarship Program assists Latino students with college applications and scholarships, in collaboration with Kutztown University, Penn State Berks, Alvernia University, Albright College, and the Reading Area Community College. Other programs include financial stability support, domestic violence education, and youth engagement activities. 

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Team’s Experience:  
The Bridging the Gaps student intern gained diverse and valuable experience across multiple departments and participated in several Centro Hispano initiatives. With a primary focus on creating and delivering health education presentations in English and Spanish at the senior center, the intern provided the community with information regarding oral health, motivation, sun and heat protection, prescriptions, and more. The intern also interpreted for Tower Health physicians who presented on sleep, wellness, and other topics. In addition, the intern assisted with case management by helping clients navigate and apply for public benefits like SNAP and Medicaid. The intern’s role also included providing medical and nonmedical interpretation and translating documents to facilitate communication for Spanish-speaking clients. Finally, the intern worked with Drexel University College of Medicine to fund and implement a senior fitness class to be led by medical students. 

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Reflections: 
Joshua Salas: “I was profoundly moved upon viewing Centro Hispano’s immense impact on the community and social determinants of health in the Greater Reading community through its various programs and initiatives. I was honored to be given the opportunity to assist with case management and provide bilingual medical health presentations. These experiences emphasized the crucial role of clear communication and empathy in healthcare. In addition, helping clients with public benefits and navigating social services highlighted the systemic barriers many individuals face and the importance of advocacy. I saw how patience and targeted support can significantly enhance an individual’s and the community’s well-being. This experience has deepened my commitment to addressing both medical and social needs in my future practice, highlighting the importance of providing for underserved members of the community in their native language.” 

 

 

Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank 

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Addressing Food Insecurity in Berks County and Schuylkill County 
 
Student Intern:  
Brian Nguyen, MS, Drexel University College of Medicine at Tower Health 
 
Academic Preceptor: 
Holly Metzgar, DO, FACOG, NCMP, Drexel University College of Medicine at Tower Health 
 
Community Preceptors:  
Alexis Fick, Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank
Alyssa Messner, Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank
Michael Reppert, Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank
Jess Umbenhauer, Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank
 
Community Site: 
Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting food insecurity in the Berks County and Schuylkill County areas. As part of the nationwide initiative Feeding America, they provide over nine million pounds of food annually for more than 350 programs, including food pantries, meal programs, senior living facilities, and youth programs. Their Mobile Market program provides over 1.7 million pounds of food directly to low-income residents at 22 sites across Berks and Schuylkill counties. For low-income senior residents, they offer the Senior Box program (otherwise known as CSFP, or the Commodity Supplemental Food Program), which is a supplemental nutritional package containing nonperishable goods and canned foods, distributed monthly. They also offer a Weekender program, which provides a weekly package of food for school students who are food insecure. Helping Harvest distributes 4,200 Weekender bags a week during the school year throughout Berks and Schuylkill counties.

www.helpingharvest.org
 
Team’s Experience: 
The Bridging the Gaps student intern aided Helping Harvest in the warehouse, in the office, and out in the community. Working with operations staff, the intern helped loading, unloading, packaging, and storing fresh and frozen food pallets for delivery. The intern worked alongside the Mobile Market coordinator to help with client intake and registration and food distribution. In the office, the intern helped with inputting client data and information, evaluating member agencies, and organizing client paperwork. The intern also developed and administered a client survey for Helping Harvest, gathering feedback to help improve services and communication. The survey also included questions relating to vaccine hesitancy, with the goal of analyzing the relationship of food insecurity to vaccine hesitancy in the Berks County and Schuylkill County area. 
 
Reflections: 
Brian Nguyen: “My time with Helping Harvest was an informative and wonderful experience. During my work as an intern, I received plenty of guidance, direction, and education on the history of Berks County and Schuylkill County, its current sociopolitical issues, and how the resulting healthcare disparities and food insecurities developed. While attention and focus for tackling these issues is largely focused on big cities like Philadelphia, the same issues affecting over 110,000 residents in this area cannot be understated. From lack of patient support to the administrative burden in maintaining the existing network to supply these food-insecure communities, the situation in these smaller townships is a slow decline in public health. Whether it is to heal the historical racial divide, intergenerational trauma, or to fix the issues of social determinants of health, connecting these communities is what is required to empower them. This requires advocacy for patients beyond just the cities. For the passion, humanity, and commitment in helping the community, I will miss my time with the members of Helping Harvest very much.” 

 

 

Hope Rescue Mission

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Improving Health Education at Hope Rescue Mission 
 
Student Intern: 
Julian Rupkey, Drexel University College of Medicine at Tower Health 
 
Academic Preceptor: 
Holly Metzgar, DO, FACOG, NCMP, Drexel University College of Medicine at Tower Health 
 
Community Preceptors: 
April McNally, Hope Rescue Mission 
Rus Romanov, Hope Rescue Mission 
Robert Turchi, Hope Rescue Mission 
 
Community Site: 
HOPE Rescue Mission has been a place of refuge for men experiencing homelessness in Reading since 1894, providing food, shelter, and support services for close to 200 residents, expanding to 250 during winter. The new Women and Children’s Center (which opened in August) contains 43 residential rooms, a medical clinic space, a children’s playroom, and individual bathrooms, serving a critical need in the community. 
 
Team’s Experience: 
The Bridging the Gaps student intern worked on expanding health education at the HOPE Rescue Mission and dealing with medical concerns. Working with the site safety officer, the intern improved staff training on medical issues and other safety concerns. Every other Tuesday, the intern worked with a physician through the free clinic hosted at the site. The intern followed up with any medical concerns, assisted with patient medications, and monitored patients’ blood pressure. The intern also held presentations and created flyers on cardiovascular health, smoking cessation, and oral health, and procured oral health kits supplied by Penn Dental Medicine. 
 
Reflections:    
Julian Rupkey: “HOPE Rescue Mission fills a valuable role in caring for Reading’s male homeless population. There are a variety of circumstances that bring people to this shelter, such as financial, substance abuse, incarceration, relationships, or mental health struggles. HOPE acts as a backstop for these individuals, providing shelter, food, and utilities. Furthermore, HOPE cares for its residents, connecting them with on-site social workers [and] life coaching, and partners with Tower Health’s Street Medicine to provide medical care. Working at HOPE Rescue Mission has increased my understanding of the issues this population faces, and I will carry the lessons learned here to my care as a physician.”