The UnTold Stories and Lessons Learned from the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

Since the inception of the HealthCare Untold Podcast, I wanted to record an episode about Latinos' own version of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. When the earthquake hit, I was the Executive Director of Salud Para La Gente, a farmworker clinic in Watsonville, and what I experienced and witnessed first-hand during this ordeal was life changing. These same feelings were sparked during the Covid-19 Pandemic as our podcast captured the voices and work of Latinos and others who stepped up and organized to provide the support and services to those in need in LatinX communities around the country.

It's been 32 years since the 1989 Loma Prieta staff and volunteers of Salud Para La Gente served over 10,000 people with medical and mental health services as well as with clothing, food and monetary support. This type of timely and life-saving support is exactly what our community organizations are doing around the country today, support all made possible by committed staff, funders, donors, and volunteers.

This podcast episodes includes testimonials of those involved in response to the earthquake and a discussion with Dr. Sandra Hernandez, CEO of the California Healthcare Foundation, about the traditional phases of disaster management: preparedness, response and recovery. The lessons learned from today's responses to the California Fires and Covid-19 Pandemic are the same: the importance of serving our most vulnerable communities with dignity and respect.

As Mayor Oscar Rios shares the multiple improvements of Latinx civic leadership since the earthquake 32 years ago in Watsonville, I can't help but wonder about the future for our communities post Covid-19. My experiences have shown over and again that when people come together to solve a crisis, we can permanently make the world a better place. This has become my central thesis and philosophy for public health as you will hear reflected in our podcast, HealthCare UnTold.