MAV ROUNDUP

Advocates for All

Community health workers are here to help

Coming from an underserved community, Ashley Torres (’20 BS, Public Health) wants to be what her family and her community did not have when she was growing up: an advocate. As a certified community health worker (CHW), she has put that goal into action with Baylor Scott & White, connecting patients with outpatient care before they get discharged.

“Now that I have my studies done, I know how to be resourceful,” she says. “I wanted to give back to communities that were similar to the one that built me into the person I am now.”

There are about 4,000 CHWs in Texas, and all foster close relationships with the communities they serve, tailoring information, resources, and services accordingly. CHWs also provide culturally appropriate health education and information, coaching, and support. They are all natural helpers, says Denise Hernandez, adjunct assistant professor of kinesiology in UTA’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation. She also leads the DFW-CHW Association, which provides development and outreach opportunities for CHWs across North Texas.

Dr. Hernandez says that CHWs do a little bit of everything, stepping in wherever help is needed.

“You have this friend, and you have this health professional, and you have this advocate,” she says. “You mix them all together, and you get a community health worker.”