Helen Palomino is a clinical social worker and CEO of the Cancer Resource Center of the Desert (CRCD). CRCD is the only local non-profit community-based organization providing comprehensive cancer patient navigation to individuals living in Imperial Valley, CA. Much of the Imperial Valley population is Latino (85%), with only 2 cancer clinics in this rural, 4,200-mile county. She leads a team that continuously provides patient navigation by removing barriers to cancer care to support the financial and health needs of patients during treatment. Ms. Palomino and her team participate in the training of nursing students at San Diego State University – Imperial Valley. They have served as community research partners in twelve research projects to improve health outcomes of cancer patients in Imperial Valley.
Helen Palomino is a 2023 grantee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Research in Transforming Health and Healthcare Systems, managed by Academy Health.