ISRRAEL GARCIA

Hometown: Wichita, Kansas
School: University of Nebraska
Degree: Master of Public Health
Placement: Office of Rep. Lucille Royal-Allard

Born and raised in Garden City, Kansas, Isrrael Garcia understands the obstacles that come from growing up in Rural America. As the son of Salvadoran immigrants who have worked in meatpacking plants, he experienced first-hand how immigrant communities have been impacted by many social and economic problems that affect their health. He is passionate about identifying solutions to bringing accessible healthcare to rural parts of our country which immigrants are reviving. His community involvement with grass-root organizations motivated him to seek opportunities and experiences that would prepare him to work with underserved populations to address health disparities through policy advocacy. Isrrael has a Bachelor of Sciences from Creighton University.

Isrrael worked as a Department of Justice Accredited Representative, gaining immigration law experience at the largest non-profit immigration law firm in Nebraska. He joined one the first immigrant-focused medical legal partnerships (IMLPs) in the country. This unique public health approach looked to bridge the healthcare gap and build an integrated healthcare system that better addresses health-harming social needs by leveraging legal services and expertise to advance individual and population health. He worked alongside leaders of local healthcare facilities to identify population health solutions to increase health services access. Focusing on equitable health policy, Isrrael collaborated with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and supported local public health departments through community health and performance management tools to identify best practices for retention and succession planning and development.

As a CHCI Health Graduate Fellow, Isrrael aims to utilize his personal experiences to continue advocating for equitable health access for under-resourced communities. He hopes to learn how to impact policy through collective action from legislators and community leaders. Isrrael is currently applying to law school with hopes to combine his public health and policy experiences to advocate for under-resourced communities.