Think about a time when you were lost or confused on how to do something. Whether it was, going through a pregnancy for the first time, learning how to be a parent, or accessing resources to help meet your needs. How did you overcome this challenge? Did someone help you along the way?

In the communities we serve, many families face different struggles like these every day. They don’t have support or don’t know how to access or navigate the different resources available to assist them with the different challenges that life brings their way. They may think they don’t have access to help or they don’t not know how to ask for help.

In our Family Services Department, there are many types of services that are offered to our patients. Our Community Health Workers (also known as Case Managers) prioritize their day to helping and providing support to patients in any way they can to help address the challenges they face. Some examples of this are supporting a patient through their pregnancy, providing families with resources they didn’t know were available to them, or assisting patients to access medical coverage for them and their family.

The majority of the patients our Community Health Workers see are pregnant moms. Some of our patients often have limited or no support as they go through their pregnancy, or they face other life challenges. Community Health Workers go above and beyond to provide patients resources and support necessary to meet their needs and improve their quality of life. Here are a couple of examples of this type of work:

Daysi one of our Community Health Workers, had a pregnant mother as a patient, who had recently moved to the area. This patient experienced medical complications throughout her pregnancy and was told that her delivery would have to be delivered through a C-section procedure. She shared with Daysi that she did not have anyone available to help her and was nervous about having this procedure done. Daysi, without thinking twice, offered to be her support person and reassured her that she was not alone. On the day of the C-section, Daysi, provided her patient with transportation to the hospital, was present for the procedure and was in the hospital providing support for this mom and her new born baby. “Thank you very much Daysi for being with me in my most difficult moments and providing me support when my life was in days of gray,” said the patient.

Araceli, another one of our Community Health Workers, had the opportunity to work with a mom who had enrolled into our program who was homeless and living in a hotel temporarily. This mom was medically high risk. She had specialist appointments in Richland and did not have any form of transportation since her partner had to work and they didn’t have a reliable car. Araceli was able to link her to transportation services to be able to get to her appointments. She worked with her patient, teaching her how to access transportation services and was able to eventually get her to feel comfortable calling those services when she needed a ride for her ongoing medical care. Araceli also assisted her patient by connecting her to housing resources through Committee Action Center, who were eventually able to provide appropriate housing for her. This patient was very grateful for the support provided, as this helped her access the medical care she needed, as well as stabilize her living situation to create a safe environment for her and her new baby.

Our Community Health Workers do not share these stories to receive a pat on the back or a reward. They do it solely because they care for their patients and they want to make a difference in their lives. They make every effort to find the right resources and provide the support our patient’s need. Our Community Health Workers help our patients work through the challenges they face in life.

Our Community Health Workers are here to help and support you! Call or text us today to schedule an appointment with someone in Family Services at 509.488.5256.