Chicanos and Latinos for Community Medicine, better known as CCM, is a club on campus that offers a core foundation for any student who is interested in health related fields and provides smooth transition from community college to a university.

CCM exposes members to health care experience in local community health fairs and gives members opportunities to receive training in basic screenings such as glucose measurements, how to measure BMI, and take blood pressure in the direction and mentoring of supervised professionals.

A core part of CCM mission is community service mostly around heath education and health issues.

Originally formed in 2002 under the initiation of the project H.O.P.E. grant, CCM was developed to encourage student health development.

CCM is available to students in the help of raising awareness of health disparities which communities are suffering from, improving health care in low income communities, and increase the diversity of race in the health field.   

Club president, Walter Guerrero, Biochemistry major, explains an ongoing set back in local communities.

“From personal experience, I’ve noticed that there are not many English speaking people who go to hospitals, the doctors speak to these patients with this high jargon, patients don’t really understand and it’s horrible that people don’t know what is going on with their child.

The United States has a mixture of different languages and cultures and that is why we want to bring more doctors of a variety so there could be more of a connection to patients and doctors,” Guerrero said.

Joining CCM in fall of 08, Guerrero was enriched by the club.

“CCM gave a direction of exactly what I wanted to do, I never thought I could go this far in this field,” he said.

Because the science and math classes that are needed to take are tedious and strenuous, each member is there for one another if anyone needs help with school work.

“We primarily focus on building stronger students by setting appointments with them and checking up on their grades, we also help each other with supplies like books or notes and help tutor each other,” Guerrero said.

Vice President, Julio Castro, biochemistry major, has also benefited from being a member.

“The reason why I got into CCM is I saw the way the officers were so open with the members, CCM represents a family,” Castro expresses, “CCM is all about helping people and that’s what I want to do, going together into the medical field and leaving no one behind.”

Castro currently applied at Downey Regional hospital to help volunteer to help get hospital experience under his belt, “I’ve seen how much the communities need so much help but I want to see what areas the hospitals need as well.”

CCM has worked close with other clubs on campus such as Puente Club and the hopes on working with GMB, Global Medical Brigade.

CCM recently worked with Puente in the celebration of Mexican Independence on Sept. 16 on Falcon Square. Each club had its own contribution to the festivities.

According to Guerrero, CCM has been moved by Puente’s cause and the two clubs together help with supplies and advertisement.

CCM holds on-campus events to help raise funds for scholarships as well as travel to conferences.

Club members have opportunities to travel to conferences at universities such as UCI, UCSD, and ELAC to talk to professors and fellow CCM members on technology in the medical field and a chance to be surrounded by those who want to focus medical studies.

CCM is a part of a network of CCM chapters.  It began at the university level up and down the state.

CCM works closely with UCLA in a collaborative effort to help the communities in prosperity as well. 

“We are blessed to be healthy and be able to have the opportunity to be able to engage and dream that we can make this happen and have the possibility accessible to us,” Nidia Notario, biochemistry major and club treasurer said.

Club adviser, Graciela Vasquez, Director of Adult Education, has advised the club since 2002.

“I support student success and since I was working with (Project HOPE) on the college end, it aligned (CCM) missions, the students’ end, then ours on the administrative and programmatic end, it was a good fit,” Vasquez said.

“I see my role as much as an advisor and it has varied depending on year to year because I take my ques depending on the students and I try to assist in providing information,” Vasquez adds, “I take the laws of the campus seriously, I provide the information and that involvement that is required of me.”

According to Vasquez, there have been a number of Cerritos College students that have moved on to universities and medical schools and have done very well because they’ve learned how to use that system of support while in CCM and they translate their skills.

“CCM has a really good reputation all over the state. Physicians or health professionals who are already in a health agency are probably past members and or are familiar with the students, if they know a student is involved with CCM, they’ve already break that barrier with those (health care professionals),” Vasquez said.

Although CCM focuses on students of Hispanic descent, anyone is welcomed to join.

If any student is interested in becoming a part of this community, general meetings are held in Social Science building room 138 every second and fourth of each month from 11-12 p.m. or by visiting www.mycerritosccm.org for more information.