UCSF LCOE Street Team

May 18, 2020

Early in March 2020, UCSF Latinx Center of Excellence (LCOE) set up a volunteer program names LCOE Street Team to provide trustworthy COVID-19 information to people waiting in food lines. LCOE Street Team volunteers are made up of physicians and health professional students such as UCSF medical and nursing students. Using appropriate PPE, they set out in small groups to interact with people waiting in the food distribution lines in the Mission. The volunteers educate and answer questions about COVID-19 as well as dispel rumors and myths while connecting people to appropriate testing and care resources. Because of a generous donation, they are also able to hand out masks and model appropriate use.

The Mission has been very impacted by COVID-19 and the majority of patients at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital are Latinx. The people most impacted are those who cannot stay home because they need to work, either in essential jobs or because of financial need.

As of May 18, the UCSF LCOE Street Team had recruited sister health professional volunteers, With their support, to date we have distributed over 18,000 surgical masks, 8,000 educational flyers, and engaged with over 10,000 community members in the Mission District. 

Our ongoing efforts will allow us to serve other neighborhoods in San Francisco, such as Excelsior, Bay View, and Western Addition. 

We wanted to thank the following entities for their support: 

Our Volunteers:

  • UCSF Department of OBGYN Faculty and Fellows 
  • UCSF School of Dentistry, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Nursing 
  • City College of San Francisco Registered Nursing Program 

Our Partners: 

  • Salesforce for donating 30,000 surgical masks
  • Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital Equity Council
  • Alyana Johnson, ZSFGH
  • The Department of Emergency Preparedness at SFDPH
  • Dr. Eric Isaacs, MD, UCSF Department of Emergency Medicine 
  • Isela Ford, Coordinator at SFDPH
  • MasksNow.com for donating their Patriotic Cloth Masks
  • Fiona Ng, UCSF medical student for help translating our fliers into Chinese

Thank you from the LCOE Street Team Coordinators!

Carlo Juarez Fuentes, Marlena Hartman-Filson, and Giuliana Martinez