Providing Healthcare That Cares
24 Years of Transforming Health, One Patient at a Time
LETTER FROM CEO
DEAR COMMUNITY,
When a patient walks into Ravenswood, they’re not just meeting a member of their care team—they’re meeting a neighbor, a friend, or a fellow community member.
I’ve always believed that healthcare should be rooted in trust and compassion. That is why I am proud to lead Ravenswood, an organization founded on the mission to improve the health of the community by providing accessible, patient-centered care.
What makes our clinics truly unique is that many of our staff members are from the communities we serve. By hiring from within the community, we not only strengthen local economic stability, but also ensure our staff serve as trusted voices for the unique needs of our patients.
To keep our care truly patient-centered, our health coaches offer personalized, one-on-one education sessions to help patients understand and manage chronic conditions, like diabetes or hypertension. These sessions help empower patients by equipping them with the tools and skills necessary to monitor their conditions and motivate them to make personal changes to improve their health.
Together, our providers, health coaches, and support staff work as a dedicated team to connect patients with the resources they need to take charge of their health.
Looking ahead, we’re excited to continue advancing our mission and expanding our impact. Thanks to the continued support of our longtime partner, Sequoia Healthcare District (SHD), we are working on a capital campaign aimed at transforming SHD’s office space into a new state-of-the-art dental clinic by early 2026. This initiative represents a vital step in increasing access to much-needed dental services.
In addition, we are excited to continue expanding with the planned opening of a new clinic site in Sunnyvale. This new clinic site will allow us to serve more individuals in need of high-quality, compassionate care.
I’m deeply grateful to our patients, staff, partners, board, and supporters who help bring our mission to life. Ravenswood is not just in the community—we are of the community.
I invite you to read on and continue walking alongside us in this important work.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Gralyn Jacques, MBA Chief Executive Officer
“Seeing Eugenia’s motivation to get her diabetes under control is a true testament to her hard work and determination. Through her efforts of keeping a healthy diet and taking her medications regularly, along with monthly diabetes follow- ups, she’s been able to get her A1C to goal.”
BERNADETTE, CLINICAL PHARMACIST
Eugenia’s Story
For over 20 years, Eugenia has been living with diabetes. Now, at 64 years old, Eugenia needs more support than ever with her diabetes.
When Eugenia visited the Ravenswood lab in September 2024, her blood sugar level (A1C) measured at 11%. Her primary care provider, Adrian, Nurse Practitioner, knew right away that Eugenia needed more support. Her provider and her care team came together to provide the care Eugenia needed, including medication and lifestyle changes.
Evelyn, Eugenia’s health coach, worked closely with Eugenia to develop simple, effective habits to help her manage her diabetes. Evelyn encouraged her to become more active. Although Eugenia can’t stand for long, she now does daily stretches and keeps her feet moving.
Alongside building physical activity into her routine, Evelyn also supported Eugenia in improving her medication habits. Together, they agreed to place reminders next to Eugenia’s bedside table, which would help her remember to check her blood sugar and take her insulin on time.
Eugenia’s care team remained deeply involved in her journey, providing consistent, personalized support to help her manage her diabetes.
She had a diabetic foot screening with her health coach, which is done annually to check for nerve or blood vessel damage and prevent diabetic neuropathy. Evelyn found no concerns, so Eugenia did not need a referral to our podiatrist.
Additionally, Ravenswood’s pharmacist, Bernadette, checked in with Eugenia regularly via telehealth to help manage her blood pressure medications and offer dietary support.
The lab staff also took time to explain Eugenia’s A1C results to her so she could track her progress and stay motivated. By December 2024, Eugenia’s blood sugar level dropped to 8.7%! The lab staff encouraged her and celebrated her progress, reminding her that her commitment to improving her health was evident.
In early 2025, Eugenia continued her care with a diabetic eye exam. Her optometrist, Dr. Phan, diagnosed her with age-related cataracts and identified signs of damage in the back of her eyes caused by diabetes. Dr. Phan will continue to monitor her eye and vision health.
Eugenia’s journey shows the power of small steps, a supportive care team, and a deep commitment to health. At her recent lab in March 2025, she further decreased her A1C to 7.5%, getting closer to the goal of achieving a controlled A1C level. She has shown significant improvement by lowering her A1C by 3.5% in just six months.
Even after 20 years of living with a chronic condition, she remains determined and continues to be a strong advocate for her own health.
Eugenia’s care team remained deeply involved in her journey, providing consistent, personalized support to help her manage her diabetes.
Clockwise from top: Eugenia (right) receives a diabetes foot screening by her health coach, Evelyn (left). Eugenia visits the Ravenswood Pharmacy to pick up her medications. Eugenia gets her blood pressure checked before her visit with her health coach, Evelyn.
Our ultimate goal is to create a healthier future for our patients.
Eye Care at Ravenswood
At Ravenswood Family Health Network, we are proud to be one of the few community health centers in the Bay Area offering comprehensive eye and vision care to low-income and underserved individuals.
Our optometry department monitors and manages eye conditions, and ensures that patients receive timely diagnosis, education, and follow-up care.
Since launching our optometry services in 2015, we have helped patients gain access to eye care right in their community, and have continued to see growing demand for vision and eye care.
Our friendly and knowledgeable optometry team provide a wide range of services—including:
Vision testing
Eyeglass prescriptions
Glaucoma care
Diabetic eye care
And more
We’re here to help our patients see more clearly and protect their eye health for the long term.
Connecting Eye Care and Diabetes Management
At Ravenswood, we believe that eye care is a critical part of managing overall health, and we’re proud to bring that care to our patients. This is especially true for our diabetic patients. Diabetes can cause serious damage to the eyes over time, which is why regular eye and vision exams are essential.
Many of our diabetic patients rely on Ravenswood’s optometry services to help keep their condition under control and protect their vision.
To help detect these problems early, our optometry staff review a list of patients to identify those living with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Those patients are then scheduled for a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year.
If more serious conditions are found, we make sure patients are quickly referred to an eye specialist for further treatment.
Health coaches provide follow-up support for patients who have been evaluated by Optometry and have no history of serious eye conditions, such as diabetic retinopathy.
Our health coaches conduct teleretinal screenings using special imaging technology that detects early damage to the blood vessels in the eye. These screenings are often conducted during routine diabetes check-ins, which saves patients an extra trip to the optometry department when no signs of eye damage are present.
Early detection means we can intervene sooner, when issues are easier to manage and treat.
RAVENSWOOD SERVICES
Primary Medical Care
Prenatal Care
Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine
Adult Medicine
Women’s Health
Optometry
Screenings & Immunizations
Pharmacy
General X-ray
Ultrasound
Mammography
Chiropractic Care
Podiatry
Lactation Counseling
Laboratory Services
Referrals to Specialty Care
Integrated Behavioral Health & Social Services
Adult and Pediatric Short-Term Counseling
Domestic Violence Counseling
Grief Counseling
Crisis Intervention
Psychiatry Consultation
Enhanced Case Management Field Services
Health Care for the Homeless
Medically Assisted Therapy for Alcohol/Substance Use Disorder
Center for Health Promotion
Chronic Disease Management
Health Coaching
Health Coverage Enrollment
Ravenswood Family Dentistry
Pediatric & Adult Dental Care
Preventive Care
Restorative & Periodontal Care
Prosthodontic Crowns, Bridges & Dentures
Oral Surgery under General Anesthesia
Emergency Dental Services
Oral Health Education
Special Needs Pediatric Dental Care
Preventive Dental Care in 20+ San Mateo County Pre-Schools and Other Sites
RAVENSWOOD LOCATIONS
Ravenswood Family Health Center
1885 Bay Road
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
Ravenswood Family Dentistry
1807 Bay Road
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
Center for Health Promotion / Eligibility & Enrollment
1842 Bay Road
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
MAYVIEW SERVICES
Prenatal Care
Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine
Adult Medicine
Women’s Health
Immunizations & Screening
Optometry
Dental (via mobile clinic)
Integrated Behavioral Health & Social Services
Chiropractic Care
Podiatry
Chronic Disease Management
Health Education
Screenings & Immunization
Laboratory Services
Lactation Counseling
Health Coverage Enrollment
MAYVIEW LOCATIONS
MayView Sunnyvale
785 Morse Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94085
MayView Mountain View
900 Miramonte Avenue, 2nd Floor
Mountain View, CA 94040
MayView Palo Alto
270 Grant Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94306
CONTACT US
Development Department
📧 Development@RavenswoodFHN.org
📞 650.617.7829
🌐 www.RavenswoodFHN.org
Our ultimate goal is to create a healthier future for our patients.
Coming Full Circle: Miguel’s Story
Miguel’s journey with Ravenswood began not as a staff member, but as a patient. Growing up in East Palo Alto, he and his family became patients in 2001, when Ravenswood was a small modular clinic. Now, years later, Miguel has seen the clinic expand and experienced his own growth too. He has come full circle—leading our immunization program and giving back to the very community that once cared for him.
In 2010, Miguel started at Ravenswood as a Referrals Assistant. Miguel worked in this role for a year, until he joined the Medical Assistant Program at Ravenswood. Through the program, Miguel became a Medical Assistant and gained experience working in our Pediatrics and Pharmacy departments. It was in this role that he discovered a new passion—vaccinations.
Working closely with providers not only opened new doors but deepened his understanding of preventive care and its impact.
His passion for helping others and his dedication to the mission stood out, earning him respect across the clinic and strengthening his ties with the team.
In 2020, Miguel was offered the opportunity to become Ravenswood’s first Vaccine Coordinator for Pediatrics. It was a proud moment: to be seen, supported, and empowered by the clinic and team that he had grown alongside for years.
Today, Miguel is the Immunization Manager, overseeing Ravenswood’s key partnerships that provide us with vaccines for our patients. He manages collaborations with:
The Vaccines for Children Program
The Vaccines for Adults Program
Other state-funded immunization initiatives across San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties
He also oversees vaccine inventory and leads internal audits to ensure all clinics abide by protocols and guidelines.
What Miguel values most is the ability to connect with patients in a genuine and personal way. Miguel says:
“One thing I like about RFHN is that many of the people I work with are from the community, which makes it easy to connect with our patients. We see patients for who they are and take their needs seriously.”
Miguel’s journey from patient to staff is more than a success story—it’s a testament to Ravenswood’s mission.
When care comes from someone who truly understands the community, patients feel more seen and heard. It’s these human connections—like the ones Miguel builds every day—that lead to better health outcomes and stronger, healthier communities.
One thing I like about RFHN is that many of the people I work with are from the community, which makes it easy to connect with our patients.One thing I like about RFHN is that many of the people I work with are from the community, which makes it easy to connect with our patients.
ABOUT US
Ravenswood Family Health Network, which was established in 2001, is a non-profit, federally qualified health center that serves majority low-income patients from San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.
We are committed to addressing the health needs of our communities, and provide integrated primary and preventive health care using a whole-person, patient-centered approach.
Each patient at Ravenswood has a dedicated care team working closely to help them achieve the best health outcomes possible.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Fred Mondragon, Chair
Siteri Maravou, Vice Chair
Adrian Amaral, Treasurer
VJ Periyakoil, MD, Secretary
Melieni Falemaka Talakai, Parliamentarian
Genesis Cerna
Senseria Conley
Julio Garcia
Marcelline Combs
Chantal Volel-Torres, Board Liaison
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Patricia Bresee, Chair
Maya Altman
Greg Avis
Caretha Coleman
Greg Gallo
Lily Hurlimann
Rose Jacobs Gibson
Dr. Ross Jaffe
Jim Koshland
Richard Levy
John A. Sobrato
Dr. Fred St. Goar
Jane Williams
NEWSLETTER
Editor: Lourdes Sanchez
Photography: Kalena Caravalho, Lourdes Sanchez
YES! I WANT TO JOIN RAVENSWOOD’S CARE TEAM!
Donate Online
https://ravenswoodfhn.org/donate-rfhn/
Mail a Check To:
Ravenswood Family Health Network
1885 Bay Road
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
Questions?
Contact the Development Team at:
Development@RavenswoodFHN.org
Ravenswood Family Health Network is a
tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency
EIN: 94-3372130
How your gift makes an impact:
☐ $100 – Pays for one pediatric patient’s routine dental exam with x-rays
☐ $250 – Pays for one patient’s routine eye exam
☐ $500 – Pays for one child’s vaccines
☐ $2,000 – Pays for one year of care for a diabetic patient
☐ $5,000 – Pays for one mother’s prenatal care
☐ Other: _________________________________________________
