LifeBridge Health Celebrates Community Health Workers
On a busy afternoon at Northwest Hospital, Erica Dudash, R.N., a case manager at Carroll Hospital and member of LifeBridge Health's Emerging Leader Program (ELP), stood at a table piled high with literature, candy and a colorful spinning wheel. As part of LifeBridge Health's first Community Health Worker Appreciation Week, she provided information with a dash of fun to all passersby who stopped to ask questions or show off their knowledge of what community health workers (CHW's) do.
CHW's are front line public health workers who have a close understanding of the communities they serve. CHW's serve as liaisons between community members and health and social services, facilitating access to resources such as safe and affordable housing, healthy food, transportation or well-paying employment. While a physician, nurse or social worker might focus on the medical, physical and mental health needs of a patient or client, a CHW focuses on acquiring or improving access to the resources that clients need to maintain their health and live more stable lives.
CHW's play an important role in LifeBridge Health's population health department care teams, in programs including the Diabetes Medical Home Extender Program, HIV Support Services Program, Family Violence Program, Healthy Families America Perinatal Home Visiting Program, Kujichagulia Center Youth Mentoring and Street Violence Intervention, Changing Hearts Program for heart disease prevention, and the new Outpatient Care Navigation program. Within the next year, LifeBridge Health hopes to include CHWs in the Perinatal Depression Outreach Program, food-related community programming, and other chronic disease management and prevention programs.
Community Health Worker Appreciation Week was sponsored by LifeBridge Health's population health department and implemented by a dedicated team from the ELP, a program focused on helping select employees gain valuable business, knowledge and networking opportunities, positioning them for future professional pursuits.
"In addition to celebrating community health workers, we wanted to use this week to raise awareness about the types of services that community health workers provide, and also make sure that other LifeBridge Health employees are equipped to work with, and refer people to, a community health worker when appropriate," says Dudash. "I'm thrilled that LifeBridge Health is able to provide the CHW's some of the appreciation they deserve."