Community Resource Center opens in Norwalk Town Square

Officials held a ribbon cutting for the new Community Resource Center last week. (Photo by Vincent Medina)

NORWALK - City officials and community members celebrated the opening of a new Community Resource Center in the Norwalk Town Square on March 23.

The center is through the partnership of the L.A. Care and the Blue Shield California Promise Health Plan. It aims to provide a range of free services and support to individuals and families in need such as food pantries, free Wi-Fi for telehealth visits, dance and fitness classes, health education and healthy cooking classes.

Kristen Cerf, the CEO of Blue Shield, expressed that community health workers at the center can direct residents through the healthcare system and answer questions to the best of their ability.

“We just encourage anyone, whether they’re our member or not, who may need help navigating the healthcare system or may need additional support to come in and we’ll help them out,” Cerf said. “If we can’t help them here, we will help them get the answer they need to go to a doctor.”

One of the center’s primary offerings is food assistance, which will help individuals and families who struggle to afford nutritious meals. The center provides food boxes and other resources to those in need, ensuring everyone in the community can access healthy food.

Maria Jurado, the manager of the Norwalk facility, explained the center is focused on educating the community on health regarding nutrition, chronic conditions and physical fitness.

Physical activity classes and health education courses are offered at the Community Resource Center. The facility is equipped to hold cooking classes to teach residents how to prepare a healthy and well-balanced meal.

“In the future, we’re always open to different ideas of programming. We’re getting involved with the community,” Jurado said. “We’re always open to offering different services and different education classes.”

During the ribbon cutting ceremony, members from the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce and the City Council congratulated the Blue Shield and L.A. Care officials and welcomed them to the community.

Councilmember Rick Ramirez explained development of the center started in 2021, during his time as mayor.

The center, at 11721 Rosecrans Ave. in Norwalk, is open between 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.