Rita Phillips, CNA, HHA, R.N.A., BS (Health Science)

Rita Phillips is a dedicated healthcare and mental health professional with over a decade of experience serving vulnerable populations through clinical care, case management, and community support services. Since beginning her healthcare career in 2012, she has worked extensively as a Certified Nursing Assistant, Home Health Aide, and Restorative Nurse Assistant, providing compassionate care to stroke survivors, individuals with disabilities, and elderly patients through IHSS programs and the Centers for Elders Independence.

She currently serves as a Student Mental Health Resource Navigator, a role she has held since August 2024. In this position, she supports students by identifying and vetting mental health and basic needs resources, coordinating campus and community referrals, conducting case management, and assisting with appointments and care navigation. Her work focuses on ensuring that students have timely access to essential services while receiving empathetic and structured support throughout their care journey.

Rita’s professional foundation is strengthened by her extensive academic background in health and social sciences. She earned an Associate of Arts in Social Science from Laney College and a Bachelor of Science in Health Science with a concentration in Health Policy from California State University, East Bay in 2023. She is currently completing a degree in Social Work and Human Services at Chabot College and has been accepted into the Master’s Program in Healthcare Administration at Cal State East Bay for Fall 2026.

Her commitment to healthcare and advocacy is deeply personal, shaped by her family history and lived experiences. Inspired by her great-grandmother’s community activism in Bayview-Hunters Point and further motivated by caring for her mother following a stroke in 2012, Rita developed a lifelong dedication to patient advocacy and rehabilitation support. She continues to honor this journey through her work in healthcare and through a personal memoir project highlighting her mother’s resilience and over 200 poems written after her stroke.

• Laney College - A.A. in Social Science
• Cal State East Bay - B.S. in Health Science with concentration in Health Policy, 2023
• Chabot College - Social Work and Human Services degree
• Cal State East Bay - Master's in Healthcare Administration

• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
• Home Health Aide
• Restorative Nurse Assistant
• Certificate in Behavioral Health

• Black California Health Network

• Life Skills Presentations and Workshops at Local Schools