Meanwhile, Wesley Health Centers offer an array of primary care services tailored to the needs of the community. “In our case, it’s a population that is primarily low-income, uninsured and Hispanic,” Bandi said. Seventy percent of Wesley’s patients are uninsured, compared to other area FQHCs that average only a 20 percent uninsured rate. As such, Wesley is a valuable safety-net healthcare provider that serves more than 7,000 patients a year between its two locations. Wesley offers pregnancy, family planning and mental health services as well as health education and nutrition counseling. Licensed professionals do acute and chronic disease management, cancer screening, lab tests, vaccines — all in English and Spanish. THE FUTURE The community Wesley serves faces myriad social issues that affect their health. These include food insecurity, inadequate access to healthy and nutritious food, substandard housing and employment opportunities, under- resourced schools and the prevalence of crime and drugs, to name a few. What’s more, many families seek medical care only when they absolutely need it and often delay or forego care, which often leads to more invasive and costly treatments with poorer outcomes. 46 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | MAY 2 020 Fortunately, through its integrated approach, Wesley regularly sees the impact both its health center and community centers have on the community. Children from the after-school program return as adults to talk about how important it was to them and their growth and development. One such person was Henry Cejudo, who attended the after-school and summer programs when he was a child. “He credits it to keeping him off the streets, away from gangs and drugs and involved in school,” Bandi said. UFC flyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo visited Wesley Community Center to thank the organization for helping him become the man he is today. At Wesley, community members can choose from an array of programs, including free daily Zumba, arts and crafts, chess, coding and computer classes, guitar lessons, community gardening and neighborhood volunteer projects.

Cejudo went on to become the youngest Olympic gold medalist for Greco-Roman Wrestling and then entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship and became champion. Last year, he returned to Wesley’s Golden Gate site to share his story and donate $5,000 to the after- school program. But he is not alone. “People in the community will regularly stop staff and share memories of the programs and services and the impact they have had on their life,” Bandi said. As Arizona battles the coronavirus crisis, Wesley has shifted services to be there for the community. Prior to COVID-19, Wesley only had a small number of telehealth visits. Today, nearly 84 percent of health center visits are through telehealth. And though community center programming has been canceled, Wesley has transitioned to provide daycare for children of first responders and a food pick-up program for families struggling to afford food. Food and nutrition are huge components of Wesley’s plans for the future. Because healthy foods are critical to reducing childhood obesity and diabetes, and because nutritious foods also help kids perform their best in school, Wesley has wanted to renovate the community kitchen at its Golden Gate site for years. A major grant from Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust made that dream a reality, and Wesley is currently finishing construction of a commercially licenced kitchen that will allow them to prepare free nutritious meals and snacks in-house for kids attending after-school and summer programs. “With the completion of the kitchen, Wesley will be able to take fresh vegetables grown right in our own community garden and prepare, cook and serve those vegetables to the children in the after-school and summer program. Children who plant seeds in the garden and watch them grow will be able to see how those vegetables are cooked and what they taste like,” Bandi said. The completion of the community kitchen will take Wesley programs and services to the next level.” To learn more, go to wesleycenterphx.org . fiffflffiflfflfflfflffffflffiflffiffffl Check out the latest issue to see what is happening next at Green Living Magazine and see how you can be a part of the next issue! Our March issue was all about sustainable living and saving the planet! Be a part of our network! Subscribe to stay up-to-date with eco-trends! https://greenlivingaz.com/ Join us at our Eco Events: https://greenlivingaz.com/arizona-events/eco-events/ Advertise your eco-conscious business: https://greenlivingaz.com/advertise/ It is more than just a magazine, it’s a way of life. @greenlivingaz Green Living AZ Connect with us on social media!