It was a true celebration when Patty García was called to the stage, the backing and admiration of her peers evident in the cheerful roar of support that filled the room of Park City Community Foundation’s Grant Celebration at Snow Park Lodge.García had won the Trisha J. Worthington Community Service Award, which the foundation confers annually to an individual who has been generous with their time and talent to charitable and community endeavors. Currently serving as the Patient Access Director for the People’s Health Clinic, Garcia is also a board member of PC Tots and a mother of four, according to a press release from the foundation, and she is widely recognized for her exceptional dedication and advocacy in creating accessible and inclusive opportunities in healthcare and childcare for the community. The foundation also said that García had been nominated multiple times for the award this year and last.“Patty has a heart of gold and is a tireless champion for childcare and healthcare,” said Sue Banerjee, executive director of PC Tots. “Despite working full time and raising her own children, she finds time to support the community through formal and informal ways. She is there to connect people to services and give advice. … She has been a voice for many who otherwise would not be heard.”“I feel so happy,” said García, “I am surprised, but I feel very happy to have been recognized, and for my work to have been recognized.”It’s an honor, she said, and she appreciates the recognition for doing something she loves. García said she loves to go to work and interact with the people she is there to serve. She spoke about the close-knit types of relationships she has built over the years and how fortunate she feels to be in a position where patients trust that she will help them. “I love that people come to me because they know I will do my best to help them with whatever they need,” said García, “I feel that sometimes you can get tired of what you do or say that, but whenever you look at something and think, if we weren’t here, if the clinicians weren’t here, this man would have never known his diagnosis, or this woman would have never known this was happening to her — knowing that I can help them is the best feeling I could have.”The People’s Health Clinic is a volunteer-driven organization that summarizes its mission in three words: “Here, we care.” Aware that basic healthcare is not accessible to everyone, García and the many dedicated staff members and volunteers at the People’s Health Clinic embody that mission by offering lifesaving services to many community members who would otherwise not have a place to go. García said she strives to be a person of trust, one who is available to help those without support systems or who otherwise might be alone, unseen, untreated and unheard.García said that, especially in a situation where not everyone qualifies for healthcare, and particularly when helping the undocumented community — because they are often the ones who don’t qualify for any programs — knowing that she is helping them and that they can trust her just as she trusts them fills her heart.She likened this type of trust to that which she provides for her parents.“More than anything, I know that if I don’t do things for (my parents), no one else is going to do it for them. So, I want them to know that I am the person who will be there for them.”In the same way, García’s goal is to provide that care to those in the community who need it, every step of the way, no matter the magnitude or difficulty of what someone may be facing.“I’ll hold your hand until you get what you need,” said García.The post Patty García honored with Trisha J. Worthington Community Service Award appeared first on Park Record.