Herban Health

About Us

Herban Health
at a glance

Herban Health is an East Palo Alto based nonprofit corporation offering holistic health care to local residents. Holistic health care works to make a good health through supporting the whole person: physical, mental and spiritual. We at Herban Health have been providing holistic health care in the extended East Palo Alto community since 2004, by working directly in community based organizations in order to reach people in their own environments. Our goal is to help people with limited resources help themselves to live in a more balanced and healthy way and we work together to make a healthier community. Herban Health celebrates the healing power of culture within and between our participants and our providers who are majority People of Color.

Health is more than the absence of disease. It is being able to live in an environment with opportunities to develop and thrive, with respect, equity and social justice.

We provide:

Acupuncture Clinics
Yoga Classes
Meditation Classes
Nutrition Classes
Other Health Classes

Our mobile friendly website provides:

Information on community resources available to the extended East Palo Alto community on essential services such as food, housing, safety, education, support for seniors, teens and youth, and jobs.
An opportunity to exchange views and experiences on these essential services through forums and blogs.
Short videos for health education.
Short videos highlighting the creativity of the community in art, music, dance, poetry and more.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Herban Health consists of believers and practitioners of the ancient healing arts whose goal is to use the wisdom of those arts, along side of the science of healing, to provide support to those people who are struggling in the margins of our societies.

People themselves understand best their own circumstances and we honor and strive to support those who want to heal themselves.

Inequality of access to resources is ingrained in our healthcare system and society as a whole, and we cannot have a healthy community without advocating for social justice, individually and collectively.

IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC

Prior to the pandemic we have provided free acupuncture clinics, some as drop in clinics, others based on a community acupuncture model with small groups of 4-6 people, all located in various organizations in the East Palo Alto community such as the Ravenswood Family Health Center and the Ecumenical Hunger Program. In addition we have offered drop in clinics of yoga and meditation. We also have held 6 week classes where participants sign up and commit to a 3 hour per week class where they engage in education on nutrition, healthy eating and cooking, meditation, art therapy, and yoga.

During the pandemic, we have offered support to our participants in a variety of ways, one of which has been offering by zoom Cultural Heritage Diet classes to small groups, following the curriculum of the nonprofit organization Oldways. (http://oldwayspt.org) We will continue to be offering such classes particularly the African Heritage Diet and Latin American Heritage Diet. Hopefully soon participants can attend in person and share food and experiences and support each other in healthy eating.

July 10 is the expected start up date for having clinics and classes up and running. In the meantime we will be providing limited service: small group education and clinics. If you are interested in participating in a class and or a clinic, please contact us by text at 650 327-7894 and we will contact you as soon as possible. IN ORDER STAY INFORMED OF OUR ACTIVITIES, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR TEXTS AT www.herban healthepa.org

Donors and Volunteers and Donated Space from community Groups:

We are very grateful for the financial donations that we have received as well as for the essential volunteer work that has made our work possible, and very importantly, the donation of access to space in which to offer our services.

Donations:

Facebook Community Fund

Lisa and Matthew Sonsini Family Fund

Sheri and Eric Brisson Family Fund

Individual donations ranging from $1 to $1000.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Patricia Foster

Ms. Foster is a former East Palo Alto City Council member, and currently acts as the Executive Director of the organization Girls to Women. She has over 22 years' experience as a resident and a community empowerment advocate in East Palo Alto. Before founding Girls Two Women late last year, Pat led a profound revitalization of the Girls' Club of the Mid-Peninsula, developed other after-school programs for at-risk youth, counseled juvenile offenders, connected service agencies with volunteers, taught basic English and math skills to low-income adults from immigrant and disadvantaged backgrounds, and facilitated community development and economic empowerment strategies.

As a woman of color and an immigrant herself, Ms. Foster's familiarity with the vulnerabilities and strengths characterizing families among marginalized constituencies goes beyond the professional level to the personal.

Ruben Abrica

Mr. Abrica is currently serving as an East Palo Alto City Council member.
He is also an Instructor at De Anza Community College in the Intercultural/ International Studies Division and serves as adjunct faculty in the Teacher Preparation Department of The National Hispanic University.
His professional work in education includes working in educational research, supervising tutor-counselors for Upward Bound, teaching ESL and adult education, working as a consultant for the California Department of Education, and serving as a Spanish Language Trainer for Peace Corps
Mr Abrica received his M.A. in Education from Stanford University and did graduate work in Linguistics at UC San Diego. He has lived in East Palo Alto for 30 years and has been involved in a variety of community endeavors. He currently serves as Mayor of the city of East Palo Alto. During the 1990's he served on the Board of Trustees of the Ravenswood School District. Mr. Abrica was also involved in the incorporation movement and served on the first East Palo Alto City Council in the 1980's. He is a founding member of the Ravenswood AYSO Soccer League for boys and girls, the Comité Latino and the East Palo Alto Council of Tenants.

Dyanne Ladine

Ms. Ladine has worked for over forty years for economic and social justice, by partnering with and being on the Boards of many community based organizations, organizing with others several community based organizations such as Lettuce Work Women's Cooperative, EPACAN DO, and Herban Health, all in East Palo Alto CA. Additionally, she has taught at Notre Dame de Namur University for over twenty years and has degrees in law, business, religion and Oriental medicine.

Lillian Barden

Lillian Barden, PhD, currently serves as Professor Emeritus in the School of Business and Management at Notre Dame de Namur University. She has extensive experience in management and finance with both for profit and non-profit organizations. Former Chair of the Intensive Business program at NDNU, Lillian remains active in consulting work with non-profits in San Mateo County. Prior to her work at Notre Dame de Namur University, Lillian taught project management at St. Mary’s College in Moraga for several years

VOLUNTEERS

Volunteer Highlights

Our holistic healthcare services include acupuncture, body work, meditation, yoga and a variety of other types of holistic healthcare. These have all been as volunteers, with a few exceptions. For over 15 years we have had many volunteers which are too numerous to name but some of the people who have given countless hours are:

~ Choy Pik (Joyce) Chiu ~

~ Steven Lin ~

~ Jenny Lin ~

~ George Chang ~

~ Jenson Tseng ~

~ Kevin Tsun ~

~ Dyanne Ladine ~

~ Samantha Mar ~

~ Rose Ng ~

~ Faith Myung Oh ~

~ Insight Meditation instructor Andrea Castillo ~

~ Yoga instructors: Mariel Martinez and her group of instructors ~

Many East Palo Alto Community members have supported us in many ways
and Herban Health wants to give special recognition and many thanks to:

~ Melieni Talakai ~

~ Bruce Nash ~

~ Ruben Abrica ~

~ Pat Foster ~

~ Nevida Butler ~

~ Rosemary Steele ~

~ Omowale Satterwhite ~

~ Yolanda Ortiz ~

~ Terry Hunt ~

~ The members of WEBCA (West of Bayshore Community Association) ~

COMMUNITY

Community Partners

The following organizations in the Extended East Palo Alto community have worked together with Herban Health to help provide support to our community, all to the goal of making the community a healthier and happier place. We look forward to continuing to work with them as well as other organizations in the community.