Meet Ana Ruiz And Karla Rugamas

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ana Ruiz And Karla Rugamas. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ana Ruiz and , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

We talked about our experiences while in PA school and shared how having grown up in medically underserved communities ourselves, we witnessed firsthand how limited access to care can profoundly affect health outcomes. Our shared experiences ignited a passion to serve those who face similar barriers and we found purpose in wanting to change healthcare

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

We first met in Physician Assistant/Associate (PA) school and, during a break one day, talked about how incredible it would be to one day care for patients like our parents. Fast forward several years, and we decided to take the leap and Vida Mobile Clinic, a 501c3 was created.
What began as a small effort between the two of us quickly grew into something much larger once our dedicated student volunteers joined in. We opened our doors during the pandemic to provide care to patients, many of whom had lost their jobs and access to healthcare. From that moment on, this journey has exceeded anything we could have imagined.
Today, we operate a free clinic, run a mentorship program for aspiring healthcare professionals, and provide vital resources to underserved communities. While we opened our doors in May of 2020, we actually started Vida in 2016. Since 2016, we’ve helped over 8,000 individuals. Although it is challenging because we still have our regular PA jobs on the side, we absolutely love what we do and are committed to help our community.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Surround yourself with like minded people that want to help elevate the mission. This is powerful so you aren’t doing things alone.
Help others without judgement, you never know what people are going through.
It’s important to persevere and not give up. In regards to funding, you will hear a lot of no’s before you get a yes.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

Funding has been a challenge since day one. Being a nonprofit often means having grant funding for specific things and that can be challenging when you have other costs that don’t have funding.
We work other jobs, so having to find the time to request funding is for sure difficult. We have been trying to network more, and spread our message to see if there are more individuals that would like to help us with the mission of helping others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vidamobileclinic.org
• Instagram: vidamobileclinic
• Facebook: vidaobileclinic
• Twitter: vidamobilec