Meet the Team: Eshjel Escano Cañete, Accounting Associate

Welcome to our blog series, “Meet the AAPCHO Team,” where you’ll have a chance to get to know our staff! Meet Eshjel Escano Cañete, Accounting Associate, as she answers some questions.

What’s your role at AAPCHO?

I am the Accounting Associate. I will be supporting the Operations team with bookkeeping, payroll, and other finance and accounting duties.

What are some Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander health topics that you think people should know about?

We still have big strides ahead of us in the mental health space. There are so many members of the Asian American (AA), Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (NH/PI) communities who have been struggling and are inclined to deny or neglect their symptoms, ultimately affecting their family units and communities. Many have difficulty expressing their challenges and needs as the topic is still considered taboo, or even nonexistent. Many cultural beliefs also prevent members of these communities from seeking help, or even acknowledging that they need to.

I am also very passionate about cancer, tuberculosis, and diabetes awareness as these topics hit close to home for me and my family as well.

How would you describe what community health centers do and why people should support them?

Imagine feeling sick and having to seek help at a hospital where the health care providers don’t speak the same language as you — how will you tell them what hurts? Imagine getting injured and realizing you barely have enough food in the fridge to feed your family this week — how will you pay? Imagine the fear and anxiety that are now surrounding your very urgent need to get help. Enter community health centers (CHCs).

Many people within the AA, and NH/PI communities face challenges accessing quality health care and getting the help they need, whether it’s due to language barriers, insurance status, and/or income and ability to pay for those services. CHCs provide access to quality health care and health services for underserved community members, and help to remove the financial, geographic, language, and cultural barriers that often prevent them from accessing quality health care.

What are you most looking forward to in your new position at AAPCHO?

I feel very fortunate to be a part of such an amazing organization and work alongside such passionate and knowledgeable colleagues. I am eager to learn more from them, especially about the challenges AA and NH/PI communities face in the health and wellness space, how I can continue to be a part of the discussion, and how I can create and support meaningful change within these communities. I also very much look forward to supporting AAPCHO’s operations and developing my skill set along the way.

What is your favorite or go-to childhood comfort food?

My mom makes the best lumpia! It’s become one of the main events during special occasions, and it’s one of the dishes I’m most looking forward to with the holiday season just around the corner!