Our KNX Hero of the Week Christian Starks is creating healthier communities across Southern California!
Christian Starks Courtesy of Christian Starks and Dignity Health
Starks is the Director of Community Health for Dignity Health - St. Bernardine Medical Center. She also hosts a farmer's market at the hospital, shining a light on local vendors and bringing fresh food options to people right where they live. She also provides leadership when it comes to giving grants to local nonprofits and organizations.
Courtesy of Christian Starks and Dignity Health
“Honestly, it's one of the best parts of my job because that money, that funding that we deliver to these community-based organizations, it goes directly to impact community residents here in San Bernardino County,” she told Heroes host Heather Jordan. “We get so many project proposals that are focused on really just amazing initiatives and efforts, and one key thing for me is making sure that I am always amplifying community voices.”
Courtesy of Christian Starks and Dignity Health
Courtesy of Christian Starks and Dignity Health
Starks said she’s motivated by her mother, the late Rhonda Stark.
“My mom was in this field. She was a program manager for Charles Drew University in Los Angeles County, and so her work centered around HIV and AIDS prevention and management,” she said. “So, as a young girl, I was able to tag along with her to different community events and health fairs and really just witness her interaction with community residents and how she would engage with them. I was always blown away by her compassion and her ability to have those really difficult conversations with people and still connect them to care. For me, that originally drove me into this career field.”
Starks said she feels blessed and honored to have the opportunity to make a difference in the community she loves and lives in.
Courtesy of Christian Starks and Dignity Health
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