When Maria Elena Manzo (upper left photo), an asthma educator from Sacred Heart Catholic Church, first discovered that children of Monterey County undocumented were unable to qualify for free life-saving asthma inhalers -- and that those in Santa Cruz county did -- she immediately reached out to COPA-IAF. She and other COPA leaders organized hundreds of conversations over the next few years to build the political will, first for a $500,000 county-funded pilot project providing basic healthcare services to undocumented families, and now for Esperanza Care.

Esperanza Care, is a $2 million program that will expand the pilot primary and preventive care program to make it more comprehensive and available to more people. It will also provide access, for the first time, to outpatient services at neurology, diabetes, heart and dermatology clinics.

"Esperanza Care is a step in the right direction," says Manzo, adding "hundreds of conversations in churches, schools and community institutions…speak to the need. We must continue these conversations and work so that all people have quality healthcare access."

Said District 4 Supervisor Jane Parker, "COPA comes up with ideas and invites the county to participate. We worked together to put together…the pilot program and now Esperanza Care." 200 leaders participated in the celebratory event.

Esperanza Care Expands Health Care in Monterey County for Undocumented Immigrants, The Californian

Roll-Out Event Set for Expanded County Health Program for Uninsured Immigrants, Monterey Herald