Community Health Resource Center About | Community Health Resource Center SF

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

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.

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.

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. Prior to working at CHRC Jason was a clinical dietitian at Sequoia Hospital.

Jason takes a whole-body approach to nutrition, helping his clients create personalized, well-balanced eating to achieve a healthy weight, optimize energy, decrease struggle with food and meet nutrient needs. His experience includes weight management, disease prevention, cardio-vascular health, blood sugar control, gastro-intestinal health, emotional eating, and nutrition and exercise.

In his free time, Jason enjoys cooking, hiking, yoga, and walking on the beach with his dog. He also serves on the board of directors for The Heal Project, providing nutrition and health education to schoolchildren in San Mateo County.

Social Workers

Jessica Bianconi, ACSW

Associate Clinical Social Worker

Jessica (she/her/hers) is an associate clinical social worker registered with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. She graduated from Simmons University with a Master’s Degree in Social Work with a focus on health and aging. She has experience providing care coordination and health education for individuals with chronic medical conditions. She also has worked in case management, community outreach and project management.
Jessica is passionate about collaborating with individuals to help overcome challenges in order to move forward and thrive. Her approach is client centered, strength based and solution focused. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, weekend road trips and volunteering.

Sarah Knoll

Master of Social Work Intern

Sarah (she/her/hers) is a Social Work Intern at CHRC and student at Columbia University, where she is completing her Master’s degree in Social Work. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Business & Economics from Lehigh University in 2016. Sarah’s professional experience over the last six years has been in the financial services industry primarily in research and investment analyst capacities. In 2021, she decided to follow her personal interest in and passion for mental health by pursuing a new career path in social work. Sarah is particularly interested in practicing psychotherapy and values a holistic approach to wellness. In her free time, Sarah enjoys traveling, food, yoga/pilates, and spending time with friends and family.

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.

Melina Martell

Master of Social Work Intern

Melina (she/her/hers) is a Social Work Intern and a student at Simmons University, where she is completing her Master’s degree in Social Work. She received her Bachelor’s degree in American Studies and a certificate in Holistic Health from San Francisco State University. Melina has approximately six years of experience in the medical field specializing in primary care and laboratory services. When she decided to pursue graduate school, Melina discovered social work, aligning with her aspirations to work collaboratively with individuals and promote equity. Melina has a continued interest in pursuing the medical field, specifically medical social work, with a holistic approach. In her free time, Melina enjoys spending time with her family and friends, creating collage art, doing puzzles, and live music.

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.

Administrative Team

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.

Tuyen Nguyen

Associate Director

Tuyen (she/her/hers) has lived and worked in the Bay Area for her entire life. She grew up in Oakland and graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Health. Her particular interests in public health include community health and infectious diseases.

Prior to joining Community Health Resource Center (CHRC), Tuyen worked with K-12 youth in a variety of educational roles. Her experience in education span over 10 years and involve program management, outreach, and instruction. In her role as Associate Director, Tuyen applies her passion for information and access by connecting community members to valuable health resources provided by experts.

Edward Dusovsky

Patient Navigation

Edward (he/him/his) has been with Community Health Resource Center for over 20 years. He has provided a warm smile and friendly hand to individuals coming to visit a Community Health Resource Center practitioner, health education program or health screening. In addition to his professional life, he has traveled extensively, visiting some of the most remote regions in the world with stories to share about each voyage.

Board of Directors

W. SCOTT PLYMALE, PhD, LCSW
Executive Director

MARILYN KUTZCHER, MD
President

FRANK HUANG
Secretary/Treasurer

ARI BARON, MD
Director

BARRY BARON, MD
Director

PETER CALLANDER, MD
Director

HOLLY HOLTER, MD
Director

MARCY NATHAN
Director

CHARLES SELLMAN
Director

NAVEEN SRIVATSA
Director

DAVID TONG, MD
Director

RUSSELL WOO, MD
Director

Advisory Board

BROCK BERNSTEN, MD

SHELLY GORDON

JENNIFER HIRST

JEAN-LUC LAMIRANDE

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