For 30 years, Community Health Resource Center has supported the health and well-being of individuals and families in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a non-profit organization, CHRC provides a range of beneficial health education programs including:
Dietitians
Social work counseling
Nutrition guidance
Community health screenings
Educational lectures
Health information and local resources
Employee and group wellness presentations
Support groups
We serve thousands of Bay Area individuals and families each year, and our services are offered free, at a reduced cost, or on a sliding scale. Call or visit us today!
Meet Our Team
Registered Dietitians
Anca Cunningham, MA, RD
Registered Dietitian
Anca-Maria (she/her/hers) is a dietitian registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration since 2011. Nutrition is her lifelong passion and second career. She has experience as a provider of medical nutrition therapy to diverse populations in a variety of settings. She delivers patient-centered nutrition rooted in evidence-based practice. After completing a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics, a clinical internship at Bay Area hospitals, and a Master’s in Nutrition Education at San Francisco State University, she pursued certificates of training with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in weight management, counseling, and mindful eating. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Clinical Nutrition from Rutgers University. Outside of work, Anca enjoys nature and hikes, as well as city walks, and loves the public library. Anca will partner with you in finding answers that resonate with your needs, and you can trust that her help comes from a place of understanding current clinical guidelines for nutrition practice.
Eric Hernandez, RD
Registered Dietitian
Eric (he/him/his) is a registered dietitian credentialed by the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Eric received his Bachelor of Science degree in Nutritional Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Eric completed his dietetic internship at Porterville Developmental Center. Prior to working at CHRC, Eric worked at the San Francisco Department of Public Health where he helped create programs focused on nutrition and wellness. Currently, he provides nutrition guidance to help people manage their medical conditions, especially chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, digestive diseases, and pre-diabetes.
Sabine Haake, MBA, RD
Registered Dietitian
Sabine (she/her/hers) has a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutritional Science and Clinical Dietetics with advanced specialty training in Eating Disorders from University of California, Berkeley.
She worked for over 10 years in eating disorder treatment centers helping individuals and groups normalize their eating and manage stressors during the recovery process in a non-judgmental manner. In 2011 she went into private practice and began consulting for CHRC. She developed a mindful eating program that helps clients conquer emotional eating behavior and make peace with their body image. She has successfully implemented the modified Maudsley method for teenage clients and their families and publicly speaks to local school communities about a non-dieting approach to prevent childhood obesity and body image crisis in our society.
Jason Mousel, MS, RD
Registered Dietitian
Jason (he/him/his) is a Registered Dietitian (Commission on Dietetic Registration #993110) and has a Master’s Degree in Nutritional Science from San Jose State University. In addition to his work at CHRC, Jason leads mindful eating and stress management groups and is an instructor at San Francisco State University in the Holistic Health Department.
Jason integrates a healthy at every size approach, utilizing his certification in Intuitive Eating and mindful eating to help his clients create healthier relationships to food, their bodies, and their health. His experience includes disease prevention, cardio-vascular health, cancer, blood sugar control, gastro-intestinal health, emotional eating, and sports nutrition.
In his free time, Jason enjoys cooking, hiking, meditation, and walking on the beach with his dogs. He also serves on the board of directors for The Heal Project, providing nutrition and health education to schoolchildren in San Mateo County.
Elena Zidaru, MA, RD
Registered Dietitian
Elena (she/her/hers) is a registered dietitian credentialed by the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Elena received both her Bachelor of Science in Dietetics and her Master of Arts degrees at San Francisco State University. She completed her Dietetic Internship Program through the San Francisco State University program and the bulk of her rotations at CPMC, CHRC, and the Center for Diabetes Services.
Elena is passionate about working in the outpatient setting and supporting her clients achieve their health goals. She provides individualized nutrition counseling for weight loss and disease prevention, but also provides nutrition therapy for people with various medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cystic fibrosis, and more. Elena also provides nutrition therapy for cancer patients going through chemotherapy at the Bryan Hemming Cancer Care Center or radiation treatment at the CPMC Radiation Oncology Department on an as-needed basis. Her goal is to meet her clients where they are in terms of readiness to change and help them set goals that are realistic and achievable to promote self-efficacy in achieving health behavior change. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, music, cooking, hiking, traveling, and reading.
Social Workers
Ashley Arnold, ACSW
Associate Clinical Social Worker
Ashley (she/her/hers) is a registered associate clinical social worker with the Board of Behavioral Health in California. Ashley is originally from East Tennessee and completed her bachelors and master’s degree in social work at the University of Tennessee. Ashley has experience in outpatient psychotherapy, partial and intensive hospitalization programs, outpatient community health, crisis intervention, and child welfare. Ashley’s modalities of focus are dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). Ashley enjoys creating meaningful therapeutic relationships and witnessing transformative change in the lives of others. In her free time, Ashley enjoys spending time with family and pets, traveling, going to national parks, attending live concerts, and checking out local restaurants.
Alyssa Ghiringhelli, ACSW
Associate Clinical Social Worker
Alyssa (she/her/hers) recently graduated with her Masters in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley. While at UC Berkeley, Alyssa completed two medical social work internships, working primarily with older adults. Prior to graduate school, Alyssa worked in memory care where she developed a specialized interest in supporting the quality of life of individuals with dementia. Through her professional and personal experiences, Alyssa became motivated to support individuals and their families adjusting to chronic conditions and other illnesses. Alyssa is excited to join CHRC and return to working with patients and their families coping with neurocognitive changes. In her free time, Alyssa enjoys trying new restaurants, going on walks, reading, and spending time with her family and two cats.
Jenna Goulder, ACSW
Associate Clinical Social Worker
Jenna (she/her/hers) is an associate clinical social worker registered with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. She received her Master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia University. She also has Master’s degrees in Mental Health Ethics and Law from Kings College, London and in Sociology from Arizona State University.
Jenna has experience providing intensive clinical case management, psychotherapy, and legal advocacy for her clients. She has worked with children, families, and adults throughout her career. Jenna is passionate about partnering with her clients to assist them in reaching their goals. Her approach is client-centered and incorporates aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy, structural family therapy, and motivational interviewing.
In her free time, Jenna enjoys taking her dog to the beach, traveling, and reading.
Julio Lagos, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Julio (he/him/his) is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist registered with the Board of Behavioral Sciences in the State of California. Since 2004, he has devoted his time to providing direct care services, counseling services and emotional relief support to individuals and families. He is dedicated to promoting social emotional health and wellbeing through a strength-based therapeutic style that braids cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, narrative therapy practices and positive relationship-based approaches to challenging social and interpersonal connections.
Julio earned his master’s degree from the University of Southern California. He specializes in anxiety, stress, depression, trauma and life transitions. Julio is originally from Southern California, moved to San Francisco in 2010 and has since worked as a consultant in the San Francisco bay area. He is the oldest of three siblings and during his leisure time, enjoys writing, photography and visual arts. Julio Lagos joined the Community Health Resource Center team in February of 2015.
Isabella Mancini, ACSW
Associate Clinical Social Worker
Isabella (she/her/hers) is an Associate Clinical Social Worker registered with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. She is originally from Michigan, and received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor with a focus in geriatrics. Isabella has experience providing care coordination and grief and loss support for adults and older adults with memory impairment, mental health needs, and substance use. Isabella utilizes narrative therapy, solution-focused therapy, and motivational interviewing while working with clients and is passionate about meeting clients where they are at in life. Isabella enjoys spending time in nature, thrifting, and visiting local coffee shops.
Erika Shimizu, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Erika (she/her/hers) is a licensed clinical social worker registered with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. She has a background in intensive case management services serving homeless adults/older adults experiencing multiple mental health/substance use and medical comorbidities, along with direct care services to children, youth, and families for various non-profits in the Bay Area. In these settings, she has provided trauma-informed care using solution-focused, behavioral, and motivational interviewing therapeutic techniques. Erika is committed to helping heal and empower individuals/communities affected by human rights issues. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, painting/art, travelling and exploring new cities.
Jennice Wong, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Jennice (she/her/hers) is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist who joined Community Health Resource Center in February 2016. The vast majority of her work as a social worker has centered around healthcare and chronic illness. She joined the CHRC team to expand her services to provide counseling and emotional support for those who suffer from issues such as chronic illness, depression, anxiety, relationship issues, life coaching, and grief. Integrating a variety of treatment models such as motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral, and strength based techniques, her goal is to provide empowerment and emotional well-being for those who are struggling to find a light at the end of the tunnel. Jennice received her Master in Social Work from the University of Southern California and is licensed by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, taking adventurous trips, reading and relaxing.
Clinical Intern Team
Juliette Stanford
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Intern
Juliette (she/her/hers) is originally from Arizona, graduating from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She is now a graduate student, pursuing a Master of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. A top personal and professional priority of hers is to help others and to provide them with the support and genuine care they need to achieve their goals.
Outside of school and work, Juliette spends her free time running A LOT, painting, DIY crafting, snuggling with her cat (Barry), and exploring beautiful San Francisco.
Administrative Team
Lily Hawkins
Billing and Office Manager
Lily (she/her/hers) received her Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology with a minor in Holistic Health from San Francisco State University. During her undergraduate studies, Lily became passionate about addressing health disparities, which inspired her to shift her career in the direction of public health. Her specific interests lie in health and social behavior and food access, and she is committed to promoting equitable access to healthcare and healthy food options for all, regardless of cultural, social, and ethnic background, or socioeconomic status.
In her free time, Lily enjoys exploring the bay area, hiking, and experimenting with new recipes. She is excited to join CHRC and contribute to making a positive impact in the lives of those around her.
Scott Plymale, LCSW, PhD
Executive Director
Scott (he/him/his) is licensed clinical social worker and earned a Ph.D. in organizational systems. He has worked in the healthcare field throughout the Bay Area for fifteen years providing both direct care services, as well as supporting organizational development. His published research, Leadership and Learning Organizations (Plymale, 2010) provides quantitative results on transformational leadership styles and their positive impact on organizations transitioning towards increased information sharing processes.