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A Health & Wellness Initiative

Journalism is demanding—and Latino journalists face even greater pressure. NAHJ’s new initiative puts member well-being first, promoting physical and mental health to build resilience and sustain careers.

Through this initiative, NAHJ will offer a variety of resources, events, and tools to address key areas of health + wellness for journalists, such as:

Mental
Health & Resilience
Digital
Safety & Security
Legal Resources
Local
Physical Activities
Nutrition,
Food & Culture
Mindfulness
& Meditation
Financial Freedom

Objectives

Prioritize physical and mental well-being of Latino journalists
Empower members with self-care tools and resources
Foster sustainability and resilience in journalism careers

Vision and Programming

At the heart of NAHJ Cares is a vision to empower Latino journalists to prioritize their well-being—physically, mentally, and emotionally while building a culture of collective care within our community. To achieve this, programming initiatives will include:

• Webinars on Mental Health
• Community Wellness Challenges
• Discount Partnerships
• Palabra Platform Stories
• Access to Resource Guides and Toolkits

Programming will continue to expand at the NAHJ 2025 Conference & Expo in Chicago (July 9-12), including morning group exercise, panel discussions, and cultural presentations.

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NAHJ Cares Support and Leadership

NAHJ recognizes the urgent need to support its members in balancing their demanding work with self-care. By championing wellness, the organization aims to ensure that Hispanic journalists can continue to serve their communities while maintaining their health and vitality. The initiative is guided by a dedicated group of Wellness Advocates and supported by a network of Health & Fit Ambassadors across the U.S., who will promote wellness activities within their local chapters.

The NAHJ Cares’ advisory committee is co-chaired by Evelyn Hernandez, Chief of Public Affairs and Community Relations, NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and Bertha Coombs, senior healthcare reporter for CNBC Business News. It includes Ysabel Duron, president of the Latino Cancer Institute, Vanessa Flory of Volante Solutions, Alyssa Mendez of Telemundo Chicago and Dunia Elvir, NAHJ President and news anchor for Telemundo 52.

Advisory Committee

Bertha Coombs

Bertha Coombs is CNBC’s senior health care reporter, covering health care services and policy, as well as financial markets and business news stories throughout the business day.

Her health care coverage at CNBC has ranged from covering the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the evolution of health care technology like telehealth and AI to help doctors with patient care, and the launch of Medicare drug price negotiations.

She has been with CNBC for more than twenty years.  Before joining the network, she reported for the pioneering streaming business network, Yahoo Finance Vision. Prior to that, she served as a reporter for ABC News One and a substitute anchor for “World News Now,” after reporting positions at WABC-TC in News York and WTVJ-TV in Miami. She began her reporting career in local news as a Leo Beranek Fellow at WCVB-TV in Boston.

She is a former NAHJ Board Member and helped lead El Noticiero in the early days of the on-air news program.

Coombs is a graduate of Yale University. Born in Havana, Cuba, she speaks fluent Spanish.

Bertha Coombs CARES

Bertha
Coombs

Lead Committee Member

Evelyn Hernández

As Chief of Public Affairs and Community Relations, NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, Evelyn Hernández is responsible for internal communications for staff and patients and external communications for the community, stakeholders and media. She has been responsible for crisis communications during major events including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ebola emergency.

Prior to joining NYC Health + Hospitals, Hernández was an award-winning journalist who worked in mainstream, Spanish-language and online media, including El Diario/La Prensa, ImpreMedia, New York Newsday, The Miami Herald and the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram. In 2006-2007, she was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.

Hernández has advocated for the hiring and advancement of Latino journalists throughout her career. She is a founding member, a former board member and the first female president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ).
She also is a founder of the professional journalism organization Hispanic Communicators DFW in Dallas-Fort Worth.

She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism from Boston University and a Master’s Degree from New York University.

NYC Health + Hospitals has a robust Helping Healers Heal (H3) program to enhance wellness by addressing the emotional and psychological needs of all staff. Hernández looks forward to sharing that experience and resources as NAHJ moves forward with its own Health and Wellness Initiative.

Evelyn Hernandez CARES

Evelyn Hernández

Lead Committee Member

Ysabel Duron

Ysabel Duron is a pioneering Latina journalist, cancer survivor, and leading patient advocate focused on Latino health equity. After a 43-year career in broadcast journalism, she transitioned to nonprofit leadership following her cancer diagnosis in 1999. She founded Latinas Contra Cancer and later The Latino Cancer Institute (TLCI), convening national forums and collaborating with academic and medical institutions to address disparities in cancer care.

Duron was appointed by President Biden to the National Cancer Advisory Board in 2023 and serves on multiple national health advisory bodies, including NIH’s All of Us IRB and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. She has co-authored over 10 research papers and spoken at SXSW, CHCI, and The Hill on cancer innovation, equity, and AI in healthcare.

Honored with two Emmys, the NAHJ Hall of Fame induction, the Purpose Prize, and numerous health leadership awards, Duron remains a national voice for inclusion in cancer research and care. In 2024, she launched a virtual forum series titled “Talking About Cancer Won’t Kill Us, The Silence Will!”—continuing her mission to empower Latino communities through open dialogue and advocacy.

Ysabel Duron CARES

Ysabel
Duron

Committee Member

Alyssa Méndez Batista

Alyssa Méndez Batista is an award-winning Digital and Social Media Producer for Telemundo Chicago. She is a proud alumnus of NAHJ’s Student Campus and Student Projects programs that helped her shape the media professional she is today. She firmly believes that prioritizing health and wellness in journalism not only enhances life quality but also improves work performance.

Alyssa Mendez CARES

Alyssa
Mendez

Committee Member

Vanessa Flory

Vanessa Flory CARES

Vanessa
Flory

Communications Consultant

Dunia Elvir

Dunia Elvir is the News Anchor for Telemundo 52’s weekday primetime NoticieroTelemundo 52 at 5:00 p.m. 6:00 pm & 11:00 p.m. Elvir is an Award-winning journalist with more than three decades of a successful career in journalism, including radio, print and television. She began her journalistic career in 1990 at Telemundo 52 Los Angeles, she joined Telemundo Network in 2002 and returned to KVEA in 2008.

In 2023, Elvir was one of seven Latina journalists featured in “¡De última hora! Latinas Report Breaking News,” a bilingual exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History showcasing the work of Latina journalists and how they wrote the first draft of history for major U.S. events for the Spanish-language communities they report on and for. Elvir’s storytelling has earned her prestigious awards, including 13 Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, three Golden Mikes from the Radio & Television News Association of Southern California, 13 Los Angeles Area and a GLAAD Media Award, among others. In 2004, she was named one of the 13 most outstanding Latinas in the United States by the National Association of Latina Leaders (NALL).

Elvir serves as a volunteer teacher for InsideOUT Writers, an organization whose mission is to reduce the juvenile recidivism rate of formerly incarcerated youth and young adults, she is a Girl Scout Troop Leader and serves as the station’s ambassador for March of Dimes’ “March for Babies Walk.” Elvir earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Management and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix. Elvir also completed a journalism fellowship with the University of Southern California (USC).

Dunia Elvir CARES

Dunia
Elvir

NAHJ President

Health & Fit Ambassadors

Simone De Alba

Simone De Alba is an award-winning journalist anchoring the mid-day and early evening newscasts. She is also part of WUSA9’s Special Assignments Unit, leading investigative and “impact” coverage that aims to tackle community issues.
 
From Montana to California, Texas, and now Washington D.C.,she has over a decade of experience, covering major national events. From the devastating DCA plane crash, to wildfires in California, Texas politics, and notably - she was among the first journalists on scene during the massacre in Uvalde, providing wall to wall broadcast coverage viewed from across the country.
Prior to becoming a journalist, Simone worked as a behavior therapist for adults living with developmental disabilities. The special needs community remains close to her heart, and a community that she advocates for. In 2020 she worked and briefly lived in Nepal where she helped establish a teaching curriculum for children with special needs.
 
A Colorado native, Simone has a passion for ultra running, rescue dogs and books.
Simone De Alba CARES

Simone
De Alba

Washington D.C.

Kiara Alfonseca

Kiara CARES

Kiara
Alfonseca

New York

Geraldine Cols Azócar

Geraldine Cols Azócar CARES

Geraldine Cols Azócar

New York

Juan Francisco Garcia

Juan Francisco Garcia CARES

Juan Francisco Garcia

New Orleans

Diana Gutierrez

Diana Gutierrez CARES

Diana
Gutierrez

Milwaukee

Zully Ramirez

Zully Ramirez CARES

Zully
Ramirez

Chicago

Samantha Rivera

Samantha Rivera is a bilingual sports journalist (English/Spanish) who currently works as a sports anchor/reporter for CBS Miami. Before the 305, she worked in her hometown as a sports reporter/anchor for NBC5 Chicago, Telemundo Chicago and NBC Sports Chicago. Other career stops include San Diego, Rockford, IL and Marquette, MI. The Chicagoland native is a proud alum of DePaul University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations and advertising. Samantha is also the Region 4 Director of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, part of their Sports Task Force, a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and part of their Sports Committee.
 
When she’s not working, Samantha enjoys finding new vegan restaurants (albeit small, the Mexican vegan community is growing), going to the movies, working out and seeing her acupuncturist, who doubles as a therapist - not really but she lets her vent, so it feels like it.
 
Working in a crazy busy industry where mental and physical healthy isn’t always prioritized, is hard - we’re all doing our best to figure it out. If you have any questions or need suggestions on how to navigate it together, feel free to reach out. 
Samantah Rivera CARES

Samantha Rivera

Miami

Marla Tellez

Marla Tellez is an anchor for FOX 11 in Los Angeles. She’s an Emmy, Golden Mike, and LA Press Club award recipient, including earning the 2023 LA Press Club "Anchor/Host of the Year.

Tellez is a Bay Area native who began her television news career as a writer and producer.

In 2008, Tellez left California for her first anchoring opportunity in Albuquerque, New Mexico. That's where she got the chance to appear in the hit AMC show, "Breaking Bad." She made her return to the Bay Area in 2011 as an anchor/reporter at KNTV in San Jose. Tellez landed in Los Angeles at KTTV in 2014.

Tellez has been a morning, afternoon, and prime-time anchor. She's interviewed high-ranking politicians, celebrities, local dignitaries and her favorite, local residents. Her passion lies in holding the powerful accountable and giving a voice to the voiceless.

Tellez earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Sonoma State University, graduating magna cum laude.

Marla Tellez CARES

Marla
Tellez

Los Angeles

Nick Valencia

Nick Valencia is a CNN correspondent based in Atlanta, where he’s covered some of the most pivotal stories in American politics and civil rights. From Donald Trump’s indictment and surrender in Fulton County to award-winning coverage of the George Floyd protests, his reporting is known for its empathy and impact. Valencia has earned an Emmy, three Peabody Awards, and multiple honors from the Atlanta Press Club for his work on immigration, race, and crisis coverage.

A former VP of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, he was named one of Georgia’s most influential figures by the Georgia Hispanic Chamber and received the 2025 Civil Rights Award from the Bob and Jean Graetz Foundation. Starting at CNN in 2006 as a teleprompter operator, he made history rising to correspondent. He is also the founder of the Latino Media All Stars, a national wellness group for journalists, and currently serves as NAHJ Atlanta president.

Nick Valencia CARES

Nick
Valencia

Atlanta

Know Your Rights: Legal Protections for Journalists in the Field

June 26, 2025 | 5:30pm ET/2:30pm PT

An overview of journalists’ rights during protests, political coverage, and public events — with a focus on safely navigating police interactions and public space reporting.

This discussion will be led by Yelan Escalona, attorney at Shullman Fugate, and Karla Burgos-Morón, pro bono partnerships coordinator at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

VIEW UPCOMING EVENTS

Upcoming Webinar Topics

May

Topic: Mental Health & Resilience

June

Topic: Legal Resources & Support

August

Topic: Money Management, Retirement & Financial Freedom

September

Topic: Nutrition, Food & Culture

October

Topic: Local Physical Activities

November

Topic: Mindfulness, Meditation, and Joy

Resources

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