La Asociación de Mujeres de Woodlake (in English, "Woodlake Women's Association") began in early February, 2004. In this unique peer/self-advocacy group, all of the members were monolingual Spanish-speaking women. Most of them had attended a self-help course on dealing with depression. When the course ended, Healthy Start referred them to PAI to see if they might start a self-advocacy group. They did, and began working on projects that would improve their own and others' lives.
In one project, the association women took action to correct dangerous conditions at an apartment complex where some members lived: In that apartment complex:
The peer/self-advocacy group members wrote a letter to the management company in Lodi. The company took swift action, and worked on all of the problems. As a final surprise, they told tenants they would be putting in a pool and playground so that children and families would have a safe place for recreation.
In another project, association members told the Family HealthCare Network about problems with customer service, and with front line medical staff and physicians at the Woodlake and Visalia clinics. They invited administrators to their weekly meeting to talk about community services. After the meeting, they sent another letter to the administrators. It detailed discrepancies between the services and quality discussed, and what was truly being offered.
Administrators called a meeting with community representatives from all over the county, to find out if this was true in other clinics as well. Members of la Asociación de Mujeres de Woodlake spoke for the Woodlake patient base.
The meeting was a success. Family HealthCare Network promised to take the steps necessary to ensure quality customer/patient service in all of their clinics. They also thanked the Asociación de Mujeres de Woodlake for starting the community dialogue.
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