Health Bridges was founded in 2015 by Hong Deng Gao, Maria Arciniega, and Briton Lee, who met as undergraduates at Pomona College and sought to transform the challenges their immigrant families had faced while navigating the healthcare system into helping others who face similar struggles.
Hong developed a business proposal for Health Bridges during a six-week Social Entrepreneurship class taught through Pomona College’s Draper Center for Community Partnerships. She proposed to recruit and train twenty bilingual Claremont Colleges students to serve as Health Advocates to help low-income patients with limited English proficiency. These Advocates would help patients navigate the hospital system and understand how to access health resources in their native languages. Maria and Briton soon joined to secure a partnership with Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center.
In March 2015, Hong was awarded a $12,000 award from the Claremont-based Napier Initiative, given to students with creative social change projects. In the same spring, Maria received a $10,000 award from the California-based Donald Strauss Public Service Scholarship Foundation.
Hong developed a business proposal for Health Bridges during a six-week Social Entrepreneurship class taught through Pomona College’s Draper Center for Community Partnerships. She proposed to recruit and train twenty bilingual Claremont Colleges students to serve as Health Advocates to help low-income patients with limited English proficiency. These Advocates would help patients navigate the hospital system and understand how to access health resources in their native languages. Maria and Briton soon joined to secure a partnership with Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center.
In March 2015, Hong was awarded a $12,000 award from the Claremont-based Napier Initiative, given to students with creative social change projects. In the same spring, Maria received a $10,000 award from the California-based Donald Strauss Public Service Scholarship Foundation.
Co-Founders
Maria Arciniega
Co-Founder
Maria is one of the three founders of Health Bridges and a resident of Southern California. She was a Molecular Biology major and Chicano/Latino Studies minor at Pomona College, with the intention of pursuing dental school in the future. As a Health Bridges co-founder, Maria kept on-going communication between hospital staff and volunteer coordinators. She primarily focused on meeting hospital regulations and working along side Health Advocate Coordinators.
Co-Founder
Maria is one of the three founders of Health Bridges and a resident of Southern California. She was a Molecular Biology major and Chicano/Latino Studies minor at Pomona College, with the intention of pursuing dental school in the future. As a Health Bridges co-founder, Maria kept on-going communication between hospital staff and volunteer coordinators. She primarily focused on meeting hospital regulations and working along side Health Advocate Coordinators.
Hong Deng Gao
Co-Founder Hong was born in Fuzhou, China and moved to New York City when she was 13 years old. She studied history at Pomona College. She is passionate about immigrant rights and health access for the underserved. As one of the co-founders of Health Bridges, Hong worked closely with the student coordinators for program development and evaluation, outreach and partnership-building with local organizations, fundraising and other administrative tasks. |
Read more about Hong's experience starting Health Bridges. |
Briton Lee
Co-Founder
Briton has been a resident of the different areas in and around the Inland Empire/San Bernardino County his entire life. He is a Pomona College '15 graduate, and spent his year serving as an AmeriCorps member as part of City Year LA. He is currently in medical school and hopes to pursue a career to give back to the community.
Co-Founder
Briton has been a resident of the different areas in and around the Inland Empire/San Bernardino County his entire life. He is a Pomona College '15 graduate, and spent his year serving as an AmeriCorps member as part of City Year LA. He is currently in medical school and hopes to pursue a career to give back to the community.
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