FMHI’s Immigrants: At the Crossroads was a Great Success!
Last Saturday on 12/9, the Social Justice Ministry of St. Andrew Catholic Church partnered with the Office of Diversity and Equity’s Filipino Mental Health Initiative (FMHI) to host an immigration forum called Immigrants: At the Crossroads. The aim of this event was to empower members of the Filipino community to improve their mental health, increase knowledge about immigrant rights, and let the community know that health is available.
Attorney Lisa M. Newstrom, a managing attorney from Bay Area Legal Aid presented on the rights of noncitizens in healthcare programs. In her work, Newstrom commonly hears questions related to what health care an immigrant or low-income person can receive. Bay Area Legal Aid is able to provide help for low-income people for free, relating to topics of domestic violence, housing preservation, economic security, health access, and consumer protection. They focus on specific client populations, including youth and veterans.
Attorney Lourdes Tancino of Tancino Law Offices also covered updates on immigration laws. Tancino Law Office is a full service law firm assisting clients in business and immigration matters. They specialize in family-based immigration, employment based immigration, temporary work visas, removal/ deportation defense and naturalization.
FMHI aims to improve the wellbeing of the Filipino community in San Mateo County by reducing the stigma of mental health, increasing access to services, and further empowering the community through outreach and engagement. They meet on the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 3:30pm-5:00 pm at the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center, located at 2121 Junipero Serra Blvd in Daly City. All are welcome to participate.
Resource table partners include ASPIRE of Asian Law Caucus, Health Plan of San Mateo, NAMI, Office of Diversity and Equity, Project Sentinel, Rebuilding Together, Second Harvest Food Bank, Supervisor David Canepa’s Office and UCSF Filipino Diabetes Research. Food was also donated by Fil-Am Cuisine, Fort McKinley, Goldilocks and Patio Filipino, and entertainment was provided by Capoeira Batuque Daly City and DJ Alexis “AL Striker” Madayag.
Immigrants: At the Crossroads was overall a great success, and FMHI hopes to host more in 2018!
For more information regarding FMHI and ways to get involved email FMHISMC@gmail.com and connect with them on Facebook at facebook.com/FMHI.SanMateoCounty.
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