Angelica LagascaBack to Member List

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL

Educational background: B.A. in Biological Sciences from Columbia University

What is your title and role at your host site?  The Sulzbacher Center provides comprehensive healthcare services to housing insecure and uninsured people. For the Sulzbacher Center, I will be serving as a medical eligibility coordinator. I will assess and explain patients’ eligibility for free medication, and I will refer patients to additional medical and case management services when needed. 

Why did you join the National Health Corps Florida AmeriCorps program? I joined National Health Corps Florida because I want to help provide equitable access to healthcare services and resources to my hometown community. I strongly believe that healthcare is a basic right that everyone deserves. Through this service, I also want to learn the necessary skills and knowledge involved in public health work. I would like to use my experiences going into the future, where I hope to work as a dentist who provides free and low-cost dental services.

What are you hoping to gain from your year of service? From my year of service, I hope to learn how to better understand and advocate for patients’ needs, as well as to adequately address these needs. I also hope to gain a better understanding of medical eligibility per federal guidelines and the work involved with connecting patients to a broad spectrum of resources.

What are your plans after AmeriCorps service? After AmeriCorps service, I will hopefully attend dental school.

Where do you envision yourself in 5 years? In five years, I see myself finishing dental school and either entering residency or joining the workforce, serving an underserved area.