AltaMed, a healthcare provider in Los Angeles, joined New American Workforce in May 2013. One of New American Workforce’s first partners in LA, AltaMed hosts free citizenship workshops at the worksite to educate eligible immigrant employees about the naturalization process, focusing on citizenship benefits, citizenship eligibility requirements and connecting employees with accredited legal services. Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development (OCCORD) joins the program to offer trusted legal services at the workshops, making this process a truly collaborative effort.
Born in Mexico, Fatima Hernandez immigrated as a teenager to the United States and has worked as a medical assistant at AltaMed for the past six years. Despite a strong desire to vote, confusion and feeling overwhelmed by the application process impeded her progress towards citizenship. Fortunately for Fatima, AltaMed began hosting citizenship workshops at the worksite, which clarified the process and reduced the cost of the citizenship application, as it decreased the hefty legal fees associated with the process.
After 20 years of legal residency in the U.S., Fatima finally had the information and resources to become a citizen. Fatima felt so grateful for the help, that she has since referred many others to the program.
Fatima said:
“You gain a lot of information from the workshops. I referred my cousin and she is now a citizen.”
AltaMed’s support for their employees was clearly noticed by Fatima, who is ecstatic to work for a company that genuinely cares for the wellbeing of their workforce.