General Information

Background

Organization	Force for Health Philippines
Professional Title	Force for Health Philippines Country Director. Karen
Bio and Background	I’m Karen, a resident of the Philippines. I am a registered librarian, a profession that aligns seamlessly with my enduring love for books and the pursuit of knowledge. Prior to this exciting endeavor, I dedicated two years as a virtual assistant, developing and refining my organizational and digital skills.
Why I am a Force for Health® Member...	I am currently the country director for Force for Health Philippines. Living in the Philippines, I’ve been deeply touched by the critical healthcare challenges it currently faces. Witnessing these issues up close has motivated me to explore avenues through which I can make a meaningful impact in our community. I am enthusiastic about the prospect of combining my passion for literature and my expertise as a virtual assistant to contribute to addressing these pressing concerns and fostering positive change in our beloved country.
How I use the Force for Health Network Tools	I was fortunate enough to join the Force for Health Network. I have seen the courses offered here and I have used them to improve my set of skills. I can see Force for Health tools helping individual worldwide.
My inspiration	I would say Honoria Acosta-Sison. She was the first Filipina physician. I admired her resilience to learn and be educated during both the Spain and American Colonial rule. I would have gotten into the medicinal field if I had the financial means.
Location	Philippines
What would you like people to know about your community?	The Philippines is the largest nurse supplier in the world. It doesn’t sound as good as it does. Most Filipino nurses would prefer to work in countries like the USA and UAE because they are more valued and more compensated working there than in the Philippines.

My Citizenship Health Factors

Some of the factors that have been challenging for me have been...	I do not have the right tools, resources and people to help the minorities in our community.
It's important for me to be part of my community's health because...	I wanted to be part of our community health force to help people, especially children and seniors to have access to better healthcare.
Some of the strength of my community health factors are:	We do have a government-sponsored healthcare unit and it is doing its very best to help people be healthy.
Some of the challenges in my community regarding certain health factors are:	One of the challenges that we face regarding health factors is that people tend to not participate to health programs. If you know the “isang kain, isang tuka” concept, you would understand where they are coming from. Sometimes, even if it’s free it’s hard to convince people to join.
I believe I can help improve my community's health by...	I can help improve my community’s health by being consistent in helping people, making sure to vote for the leaders I know that care for the people, and by being a leader that will lead them to a health-conscious community.