Roughly 100 volunteer CHLA team members joined together to stage the 2024 Community Wellness Festival.
Good Neighbors and Good Vibes Fill the Community Wellness Festival
Speaking from the stage at the start of the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Community Wellness Festival, Kelly Johnson, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, made sure the audience knew that CHLA’s goals for the event were driven by its roots in the neighborhood.
“As your neighbor, CHLA is committed to advancing wellness however possible,” said Dr. Johnson, CHLA’s Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer.
It was the second straight year CHLA has hosted the festival, held Aug. 3 at the corner of Virgil Place and Fountain Avenue. It gives team members at the hospital’s Sunset campus a chance to enjoy some firsthand fun with their East Hollywood neighbors while providing them with important health and wellness materials.
Dr. Johnson then hit on the message at the heart of the event: “Healthier communities create healthier and more resilient children. That’s why we are all here today.”
Backpacks, groceries—and therapy dogs
The hundreds of attendees had plenty more reasons for coming. They were treated to live performances, a free selection of fruits and vegetables, a backpack giveaway, and an appearance by CHLA’s beloved therapy dogs, among a host of other features and activities made possible by the volunteer efforts of roughly 100 hospital team members. The live acts all came from within the community, kicked off by a group of teens from the Rock Band after-school program at Inner-City Arts, a nonprofit arts education organization.
In addition, several local government leaders attended, including Health Deputy Jazmine Garcia of the Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis and City Councilmember, 13th District, Hugo Soto-Martinez.
The star attraction may have been the pop-up grocery store, a collaboration with Mother’s Nutritional Center, a Southern California organization catering to mothers with children under 5. Attendees were given tote bags to fill with fresh produce—mango, zucchini, peaches, corn, potatoes and more, all free of charge. By the end of the afternoon, about 8 tons of food had been given away at the festival.
Dietitian Shannon Goff, MPH, RD-AP, CNSC, CLC, Manager of Clinical Nutrition and Lactation Services, was happy to see families loading up on fruits and vegetables.
“Our goal here is to spread information about healthy nutrition and how easy it is to make healthy food choices,” Goff said. “This event gives us access to the people in our community, the people right outside CHLA who we might see in the neighborhood markets. It allows us to be good neighbors.”
An abundance of experts
Promoting health and wellness is the core of the event, and lines of booths run by Children’s Hospital Los Angeles team members spotlighted many of the hospital’s programs and services. Among the CHLA experts on-site were staff members from the Literally Healing reading program, the NATEEN Teen Parent Support Program and the Stop the Bleed emergency first-aid training.
“We’re hoping to educate everyone in the community on how to help save a life,” said Joanna Aguilar, RN, a nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, who greeted visitors to the Stop the Bleed booth with a hands-on demonstration on how to shut off the bleeding of a life-threatening wound. “A lot of people are afraid, but as soon as you talk to them and teach them how easy it can be to save a life, then they get comfortable and feel empowered to be able to help others.”
Seeing families streaming into the festival for the second straight year to explore and benefit from all that CHLA has to offer delighted Ellen Zaman, Executive Director of External Affairs, who leads the Office of Community Affairs team responsible for organizing the event.
“We are deeply committed to our community, and ensuring their well-being is central to our mission,” Zaman said. “Showcasing the incredible services CHLA provides for children and families, highlighting the talent of young people, and promoting fresh-food security are just a few examples of our efforts to enhance wellness in our neighborhoods.
“Our role extends beyond providing exceptional care for children. It’s about actively supporting and uplifting the communities we serve.”
