Reaching a wider audience than ever before, the annual publication serves as a printed expression of our community health center’s mission.
As the sixth edition of the annual DAP Health magazine awaits readers at free newsstands and clinic waiting rooms from the desert to the San Diego coast, it represents more than just another publication’s release. Every story, photograph, and page design unites readers around one shared mission: advancing health equity and compassion.
The magazine, whose inaugural issue was launched in 2021, has evolved into one of our community health center’s most powerful communications tools because it tells stories of community members with shared values and purpose.
Every Story Matters. Every Life Deserves Care.
Overseen by DAP Health’s Chief Marketing Officer Steven Henke and Director of Marketing and Communications Dustin Gruber, the production team includes editor Daniel Vaillancourt (a veteran journalist who also happens to be DAP Health’s senior communications manager) and graphic designer Tes Schaff (serving as the book’s longtime art director).
With contributions from nearly two dozen professional freelance writers and photographers who span the country, the periodical captures the human side of health care, pairing stories of innovation and service with intimate profiles of the people who make this organization thrive.
From the executive suite to the boardroom, from our clinics to our community outreach programs, DAP Health magazine speaks in a voice that resonates with everyone connected to our mission — team members, patients, volunteers, donors, community partners, and elected officials alike.
Each issue serves as the printed expression of what DAP Health stands for: quality care, inclusion, and hope. By blending person-first storytelling with striking visuals, Issue Six invites readers to see not only how DAP Health serves the community, but also why it matters — reminding all of us that health care is ultimately about people, connection, and the courage to keep moving forward together.
Stories That Inform and Inspire
Issue Six continues our tradition of mixing practical health information with powerful human stories. Readers will find features on mental wellness, andropause, the importance of vaccines, the ins and outs of nutrition and supplements, and our wide-ranging dental program, alongside articles about the challenges of aging as an LGBTQ+ individual, how to work out from the comfort of home, the Chaldean Catholic community of El Cajon, and why advocacy in health care matters more than ever. A story about the CDC’s developmental milestones for kids stands next to a Q&A where Director of Pediatric Services Dr. Jasmin Brown answers a parent’s most pressing questions.
Two photo stories — one on our 2025 annual benefit gala The Chase, the other our cover story about the organization’s very own resale stores, Revivals (which donate all profits back to DAP Health) — will draw readers in with both their words and images.
There are also articles about our progress as we celebrate the inroads we’ve made with our medical, dental, and pharmacy centers in remote Borrego Springs while looking forward to OB-GYN practice Palm Springs Family Health soon moving from its location near downtown to our Sunrise campus. We even cover our history in the form of a piece about Sam Bergstrom and Dr. Diane Barnes, a pair of volunteer archivists working to preserve the analog past in digital form so that future generations can firmly know where we’ve been and how we got to where we are today.
And let’s not forget the many other profiles of our people: major donor Sue Burnside, May-December Revivals volunteers Caleb Calderon and Elliott Night, courier Clay Cross and his palliative nurse/artist husband Steven Wybenga, patient-turned-team member Maria Elias, relatively new Board of Directors Chair Eve Fromberg Edelstein, Esq., Arabic translator Ahmad “Sam” Hakimi, HIV specialist Dr. Kinji Hawthorne, Chief Philanthropy Officer Chris Kiser, Internal and Executive Communications Manager Elizabeth Peterson, and Director of Philanthropy Matt Swearman.
Each piece reflects the richness of the diverse communities DAP Health serves, and every page underscores a truth that defines our nonprofit: health is more than a medical appointment — it’s an experience of dignity, respect, and belonging. Taken in its entirety, the book is a chronicle of connection — between people, programs, and possibilities — delivering on DAP Health’s mission of ensuring each person is seen, heard, and affirmed.
More Than Pages — A Promise
Issue Six — whose complimentary print version will be available for the next 12 months, and whose digital edition will remain indefinitely on our website at daphealth.org — stands as proof that stories can heal, inform, and unite.
Uniquely powerful, it embodies DAP Health’s ongoing promise to deliver compassionate care while creating a healthier, more just future for everyone. And it extends our message far beyond the walls of our 25 locations and eight mobile units, giving every reader a tangible way to understand and feel the impact of what we do.
So, when you pick up this latest issue, you’re not just holding a magazine — you’re holding the beating heart of DAP Health in print in the palm of your hand.
To take a look at Issue 6 online, please click here.
