Staff
Belinda “Bel” Flores, R.N., B.S., C.H.W.I.
South Coastal AHEC Director
E-mail: floresb3@uthscsa.edu | Phone: 361-881-8133
Address: 400 Mann Street, Suite 600, Corpus Christi, Texas 78401
Bel is a Hispanic, bilingual/bicultural registered nurse who has an extensive background working with the underserved communities of South Texas as well as in the recruitment of health professionals to our area. AHEC has facilitated partnerships with the local commissioner’s office, schools, colleges, clinics, hospitals, and other nonprofits to provide health fairs, medical screenings, immunizations, and health promotion and education to the underserved, rural areas, to include the colonias of South Texas. She has lived in South Texas all her life and has deep roots in the community with her family and professional colleagues. She takes her work very seriously due to the great need in her community with hope that someday everyone will have the care and resources necessary for a healthy life.
Melissa Flores, C.H.W.I.
Program Manager
E-mail: floresm26@uthscsa.edu | Phone: 361-881-8133
Melissa is a Certified Medical Assistant and a Community Health Worker Instructor. Her role is to promote health prevention by coordinating health fairs, health screenings and health education for rural and underserved areas in my community. She also manages a project that helps bring awareness of the importance of breast and cervical cancer screening in Hispanic women and promotes HPV vaccines. Before AHEC, she was an office manager for a successful family practice office and has worked in the medical community for 18 years. She comes from a very small South Texas town of less than 4,000 people near the US-Mexico Border. She understands first hand the struggles of accessing health care and the educational disadvantages that many of our community members face. So, for her, being a part of this team and doing something about it is the best feeling in the world! She finds herself feeling absolutely blessed to be a part of the South Coastal AHEC. Her favorite pass times include reading, writing, working out, and spending time with family.
Veronica “Roni” Vela, M.A., C.H.W.I., C.H.W.
Program Coordinator
E-mail: velav4@uthscsa.edu | Phone: 361-881-8133
Veronica Vela is a graduate of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, earning a Master of Arts degree in Psychology. She is a Community Health Worker and Community Health Worker Instructor. She worked for several years serving her local community with the South Coastal AHEC office prior to transitioning to her current role as Program Coordinator with South Texas AHEC programs. She has worked with several grassroots and national organizations to address issues of environmental racism, reproductive justice, social equality, health inequity, and other social justice issues. Her previous work has focused on improved outcomes for individuals with substance use disorders, underserved and rural communities, and marginalized populations.
