Negocios Now

Who's Who in Hispanic Chicago 2020

Negocios Now is the Hispanic Business Publication in Chicago with National Distribution

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www.negociosnow.com 8 Julio 2020 small business owners through the multiple stages of business development by offering workshops, trainings, access to capital, networking, and referrals. JUAN SOTO President IT Impact Inc. IT Impact is a Microsoft partner located in Chicago and with employees in North and South America. As they saw field hospitals going up as the pandemic took hold, they created a free tool to allow organizations to keep track of PPE inventory: Covid Supplies Database (COVIDSuppliesDatabase. com). It is a simple inventory system that comes loaded with many of the items a field hospital could need, including many models of ventilators, and is easier than using a spreadsheet. JACQUELINE SOTO Manager of Community Affairs Norwegian American Hospital For the last seven years, Soto has worked at Norwegian American in the community. When the pandemic came, she went into overdrive, and began the coordination of food for staff. When the rates of Covid-19 were disproportionately high at NAH, she helped set up a press conference to be sure that others were aware of the health inequities. She led NAH's social media campaign around Covid and helped coordinate with the National Association of Hispanic Nurses to distribute food. DR. SUSAN PAOLA Family Medicine Rush University Medical Center During the pandemic, Paola has been tireless in her care not only for her patients, but for her fellow staff as well. She has been nominated as a Healthcare Hero by her colleague Itzel Gonzalez, a medical assistant at Rush, who says, "I've seen Dr. Susan very tired and exhausted, working on barely any rest or sleep. Despite this, she has been helping in the Emergency Department during this challenging time and still in the clinic helping her patients. She rocks!" COVID 2019 CHICAGO H I S P A N I C P O W E R H I S P A N I C P O W E R CHICAGO READ MORE AT NEGOCIOSNOW.COM REYNA TORRES MENDIVIL Consul General of Mexico Chicago Ambassador Torres Mendivil took office in Chicago on July 14, 2019. During her diplomatic career she has held various positions in the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including general director for Latin America and the Caribbean, and deputy general director for international policy on human rights. Before her current position in Chicago, she was consul general in San Antonio, Texas. Torres Mendivil was a resident fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. FRANCISCO VELEZ Deputy District Chief Chicago Fire Department Velez grew up in Humboldt Park and is a 25-year-veteran of the Chicago Fire Department, the second largest fire department in the country. As deputy district chief he assists with the day- to-day operation of the department. In addition to advising the fire commissioner and first deputy on administrative and operational matters, he is also responsible for budget preparation, staffing, assisting with legal matters and representing the department in meetings with agencies and outside organizations. JESSE VERA Motor Transport Coordinator Norwegian American Hospital Vera has been with the hospital for almost 20 years. His attitude and can-do spirit are contagious. When the Covid-19 pandemic began, he took initiative to increase cleaning for all the transportation vehicles. He speaks in whatever language a patient wants, and he has been educating the community, promoting masks and other PPE, to keep people safe. When he heard that many people were facing food insecurity, exacerbated by the pandemic, he stepped helped deliver food to patients' homes. CARMEN VERGARA Chief Operations Officer Esperanza Health Centers Vergara is the chief operations officer at Esperanza, which operates four clinics on Chicago's southwest side. She grew up in the Little Village neighborhood and earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago. To help prevent healthcare inequity from affecting communities, she launched one of the first Covid- 19 testing sites at the start of the pandemic. She is currently serving on the city's Racial Equity Rapid Response Team, and on the Illinois Latino Covid- 19 Initiative. DR. PAMELA VERGARA- RODRIGUEZ Director of Psychiatry Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center Cook County Health Vergara-Rodriguez is a triple- boarded-certified physician in internal medicine , psychiatry and addiction medicine with more than 15 years' experience as a multi- specialty HIV provider in the Cook County Health System. She has a particular focus on Spanish-speaking groups, and she has led several social service grants to improve the health outcomes of underserved populations including Mexican immigrants, the LGBTQ population, people living with HIV, and people living with substance use disorder and/or mental illness.

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