Community Development Corp.2022 Impact Reports
IMPACT REPORTSCamino Health CenterArribaThe WearHouseCamino Research Institute.....................................................................................................................171012...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Impact Report
Joe JacksonRusty PriceBOARD OF DIRECTORSGeoff Gibbs, Jr.CHC is unique in its ability to integrate physical and mental health servicesthrough an evidence-based model, Collaborative Care. Since 2021, CaminoClinic and Camino Contigo have worked hand in hand, leveraging theCollaborative Care model, to ensure patient care plans are cohesive andconsider both physical and mental/emotional needs. Camino Health Center (CHC) provides holistic healthcare that equips peopleto live healthy lives. CHC focuses on treating the physical, emotional, andsocial needs of each person. We provide primary care through Camino Clinic,behavioral health services through Camino Contigo, health education andwellness services through Camino Vida and food insecurity services throughthe Food Farmacy. During its 20+ years of service to the community, CHC has gained areputation for being a trusted medical resource among the Latino communityin the Charlotte area. CHC offers low-cost holistic health services using awhole person centered approach. WHAT WE DOSteven KroppKaren KivelsonDr. Luis Valles, MD, FAAPShaun Moynihan Dr. Liliana MazzeiDr. Carmen Teague, MDGreg Phipps1
provider visits5,362labs drawn3,222free medicationdistributed1,003vaccines administered95Camino Clinic uses a family-centered,whole person approach to care, providingprimary care, labs, ultrasounds, vaccines,and chronic disease management tochildren and adults. Camino Clinic received the NAFC GoldStandard award in 2022, acknowledgingthe exceptional care provided by clinic stafffor the second consecutive year. In 2022, Camino Clinic extended its hoursfrom 5 to 6 days a week at theMecklenburg Campus, allowing us to servemore people. At the Cabarrus campus,Camino Clinic hosted a back to schoolevent, providing free school physicals to 47children. • 70 % of Camino Clinic patientswith high blood pressure havetheir blood pressure undercontrol (≤ 140/90)• 74 % of Camino Clinic patientswith diabetes have their A1cunder control (A1c ≤ 9)2
of the patients enrolled in therapymet their treatment goals80%of patients who completedtherapy had a significantreduction in depression, anxiety,or stress 96%Social Determinants of Health assessments were administered128members of the surroundingcommunity were engaged whilebeing educated on Camino services2400In 2022, Contigo extended its services to CHC’sCabarrus County campus and took services intothe community, equipping community memberswith information and strategies to help them copewith the day-to-day challenges of being animmigrant in the US. Contigo partnered withCabarrus County Schools, Kannapolis City Schools,and the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s office to beginproviding behavioral health services in the schoolsystem and jails.The Camino Contigo Team participated in 16community events in partnership with multiplestakeholders, including Charlotte MecklenburgSchools, Mecklenburg County DHHS (Departmentof Health and Human Services), Cabarrus CountySchools, Alliance Behavioral Health, and localchurches and agencies. Our reach extended intoSouth Carolina, with one of our therapistsrepresenting Camino at a Virtual Peer SupportConference in South Carolina. Camino Contigo provides individual andgroup therapy provided by licensedtherapists; peer support services, whichare evidence-based, recovery servicesfor adults diagnosed with a mental healthor substance use disorder; and socialnavigation services, which connect andcoordinate Camino’s services internallyand externally through communitypartners. Social navigators screenpatients using a Social Determinants ofHealth assessment and connect them toservices based on their needs.Stigma surrounding the topic of mentalhealth is common among Latinocommunities. In an effort to decreasestigma and raise awareness on theimportance of mental health, Contigopartnered with the American HeartAssociation, with funding from Blue CrossBlue Shield of NC, to launch their first 6-week radio and billboard mental healthcampaign in Spanish.3
In 2022, Camino Vida launched a fitness membership thatincludes personal training sessions and group exercise classes:Camino Vida provides one-on-one coaching and support topatients of Camino Clinic who have a chronic disease tohelp them manage symptoms through lifestyle changes,including eating healthy foods, exercising, and managingstress.Camino Vida staff also provided community education oncardiovascular disease and diabetes, which wereaccompanied by a cooking demonstration. Our Camino Vidateam presented at multiple community events, educatingLatinos on culturally inclusive healthy eating habits. Thesecommunity education events impacted 201 people.36%45%42%of patients improved eatinghabits of patients with high bloodpressure lowered it by 10%of patients with highcholesterol lowered it by20%80%75%77%of patients improved theirmuscular strength (chairstand score)of patients improved theircardiovascular fitness of members in the fitnessprogram (personal training)lost an average of 3.6 lbsduring the first 2 months ofthe program“Camino Vida has helped me to love myself, to learn to eat healthy,to be a good person and to transmit what I feel to my children[and] to my loved ones...Camino Vida, motivates you to exercise,gives you routines at home that you can do… and you feel relaxed,and your spirit is at 100%.” 4
“I’ve been coming here [Food Farmacy] for 12years or so. They give top quality foods [and]supplies. I am grateful for being able to come here.They are always friendly and, for the length oftime I’ve been coming, we recognize each other.It’s like a friendship and you look forward tocoming [to the Food Farmacy]."The Food Farmacy, in partnership with Loaves &Fishes, helps address food insecurity for high riskindividuals. Camino receives referrals from manyother places to help people who are in need of food.Our food pantry is the second largest referral sitefor Loaves and Fishes and the second largest sourceof referrals to Loaves and Fishes through socialnavigation services. In 2022, the Food Farmacy began working hand inhand with Camino Vida to ensure the food provided bythe pantry is nutritious and culturally appropriate. The Food Farmacy hired a chef to oversee theholistic collaboration between nutrition, wellness,and food insecurity. Something unique about thisprogram is the emphasis placed on maintaining thecultural roots of each person and the foods they eat,while fostering healthy eating habits. Because ofthis emphasis, The Food Farmacy and Camino Vidapartnered with Loaves & Fishes and the AmericanHeart Association to ensure the food received fromLoaves and Fishes meets dietary guidelines.5
CHC is committed to expanding its array of high quality, evidence-based services based oncommunity needs and demand. Although services will continue to be offered on campus, they willalso be mobilized offsite, extending CHC’s reach to other areas of the state, equipping people withthe knowledge and resources needed to live healthy lives. received over thecounter medications 1,003peoplereceived flu vaccines 63peoplereceived COVID-19vaccines 32peopleCamino Health Center hosted a medicine giveaway at theMecklenburg Campus, inpartnership with Medassist, AtriumHealth, and Mecklenburg CountyHealth Department, providing overthe counter medications andvaccines:LOOKING AHEAD TO 20236
Impact Report
job seekers inattendance98people receivedentrepreneur training34people completed the Promotorasde Salud certificate program701ST ANNUAL JOB FAIR8
Arriba also provides educational classes and certificate programs. In 2022, Arriba provided Entrepreneurial training courses with the Ecuadorian Chamber, a Promotores de Salud(Health Promoters) program with The American Heart Association, and Mental Health FirstAid Training. people obtainedemployment throughArriba150people completed theMental Health First AidTraining program65job seekers wereconnected to employers406employers partneredwith Arriba to hire jobseekers81Arriba plans to expand the entrepreneurial training program to reach more people atdifferent stages in their entrepreneurial career. In 2023, Arriba also plans to establish acomputer lab to offer digital literacy and computer classes to community members.LOOKING AHEAD TO 2023increase inconfidence to speakEnglish11%decrease in stresswhen speakingEnglish publicly14%increase inconfidence to writeEnglish8%*In partnership with Central Piedmont Community College9
in 2022The WearHouse wasvoted Charlotte’sBest Thrift Store bycommunity members ina contest conductedby the CharlotteObserver! “I purchase items for people who need it and also for myfamily…I do buy things here & send them to my countrybecause the items purchased from The WearHouse arecomfortable, beautiful, and in very good condition. Theyhave been happy and they really like the things I have sentthem.”10
The WearHouse is a thrift store with a mission—not just to help you up your fashion game atextremely affordable prices but also to help the community. By giving back our proceeds toCamino we directly aid the Latino immigrant community here in Charlotte. The WearHouse plansto expand to anotherlocation and seekadditional corporatepartners, allowing us to help more families inneed. 431612,509families in crisis were assisted through TWH($5,587 in-kind donations)new corporate donationpartners enlistedtotal transactions*in 2023*7.24% increase from 2021,,11
Impact Report
RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Camino Research Institute (CRI) is a hub for community-drivenresearch that informs the development and implementation of servicesand policies that meet the needs of Latinos. CRI uses community basedparticipatory research (CBPR) approaches to address the socialdeterminants of health. In 2022, CRI’s biggest accomplishment wascompleting the Latino Community Strengths and Needs Assessment(LCSNA) in Mecklenburg County, and expanding that project acrossthe state. CRI presented at professional conferences and community meetings:CRI also published its first paper in an academic journal in 2022. Thepaper titled, “Así es la Vida”: Stress, Control, and Coping AmongLatino/a Immigrants was published in The Journal of LatinxPsychology. National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics 2022Charitable Healthcare Symposium The 2022 National Latinx Social Work Conference82nd Annual Meeting of the Society for AppliedAnthropologyCharlotte Talks with Mike Collins: WFAE radioLt. Governor’s Roundtable14
147people completed theCommunity Voting Survey171people completed theOpinion Poll SurveyCOMMUNITY RESEARCHCRI will continue the statewide Latino Community Strengths and Needs Assessment, with plansto release reports in the Western and North Piedmont Regions. We will use this data to informCamino’s efforts to take its services out to communities. Data from the LCSNA will also help CRIdirect and prioritize additional community-based research projects. In 2023, CRI remainscommitted to ensuring their findings are widely accessible and available in both Spanish andEnglish.people completed the LCSNA survey inMecklenburg County458people participated infocus groups for theLCSNA36total people completed theLCSNA surveys across NC1027LOOKING AHEAD TO 202315