July 2026 Honoree
Team Kalinga PNA Southern California
1. Danilo Bernal, DNP, APRN, PHN, CEN, CCRN, CCHP, PMHNP-BC, NP-C, FNP-BC • 2. Catherine Rubio, MSN, RN, PHN • 3. Roselyn Arciaga, BSN, RN, PHN • 4. Sasha Rarang, PhD, APRN, PMHNP-BC, CCM • 5. Mindy Ofiana, MSN, RN, FNP • 6. Josie Estaris De Jesus, MA, BSN, RN • 7. María Sagun, MSN, RN, NE-BC • 8. Roland Santos, MSN, RN • 9. Marie Florentina Navarro, MSN, RN, CCRN • 10. Diane Roque, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC • 11. Gerry Asuncion, MS, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, CSSM, CNOR-ROBO, CNAMB, CPHQ • 12. Leilani Unite, MSN, RN, CNML • 13. Corazon Manapat, MSN, APRN, FNP • 14. Belinda Boongaling Mendoza, MSN, RN, PHN • 15. Lorelei Punsalan, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CNRN, CHSE • 16. Roselyn Pantoja, MSN/Ed, RN, WCC, CPPS • 17. Francis Ybanez, BSN, RN
Tala ng Kalinga (Star of Care), PNA Southern California, is a culturally grounded mental health initiative that supports Filipino American communities through education, advocacy, outreach, and improved access to care. Guided by the TALA Framework—Take, Action, Learn, Advocate—and rooted in the Filipino value of Bayanihan, the program addresses stigma, language barriers, limited awareness, and cultural concerns that often prevent individuals and families from seeking timely mental health support.
Through grant funding and strategic partnerships, Tala ng Kalinga provides culturally responsive resources that strengthen mental health literacy, build support networks, and connect community members to appropriate services. Its activities include Mental Health First Aid training, workshops, educational campaigns, resource development, outreach events, and community conversations that empower participants to recognize distress, respond with empathy, and guide others toward care. The program highlights Filipino American nurses as advocates, educators, and trusted connectors who bring mental health education beyond clinical settings and into community, school, and faith-based spaces.
By meeting families where they are, honoring cultural identity, and using familiar language and values, Tala ng Kalinga helps reduce fear, normalize conversations about mental wellness, and create safe spaces for healing. The initiative also strengthens collaboration among nurses, community leaders, health professionals, youth, families, and partner organizations, creating a sustainable model for prevention and early intervention. Its work reflects the power of nursing leadership to address social determinants of health, promote equity, and respond to unmet behavioral health needs with compassion and cultural humility.
By combining evidence-informed education, community partnership, and grant-supported programming, Tala ng Kalinga advances health equity, reduces disparities, and strengthens resilience across Filipino American communities. Its compassionate, scalable model aligns with the DAISY Team Award for Advancing Health Equity and merits 2026 DAISY recognition for its meaningful contribution to mental health equity and community well-being.
Through grant funding and strategic partnerships, Tala ng Kalinga provides culturally responsive resources that strengthen mental health literacy, build support networks, and connect community members to appropriate services. Its activities include Mental Health First Aid training, workshops, educational campaigns, resource development, outreach events, and community conversations that empower participants to recognize distress, respond with empathy, and guide others toward care. The program highlights Filipino American nurses as advocates, educators, and trusted connectors who bring mental health education beyond clinical settings and into community, school, and faith-based spaces.
By meeting families where they are, honoring cultural identity, and using familiar language and values, Tala ng Kalinga helps reduce fear, normalize conversations about mental wellness, and create safe spaces for healing. The initiative also strengthens collaboration among nurses, community leaders, health professionals, youth, families, and partner organizations, creating a sustainable model for prevention and early intervention. Its work reflects the power of nursing leadership to address social determinants of health, promote equity, and respond to unmet behavioral health needs with compassion and cultural humility.
By combining evidence-informed education, community partnership, and grant-supported programming, Tala ng Kalinga advances health equity, reduces disparities, and strengthens resilience across Filipino American communities. Its compassionate, scalable model aligns with the DAISY Team Award for Advancing Health Equity and merits 2026 DAISY recognition for its meaningful contribution to mental health equity and community well-being.
Thank you for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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