In an examination room at the Genesis Community Clinic in Garden City, Johnny Farrell reviews notes on a clipboard as he talks to patient Pamela Berner.
He wants to know how she鈥檚 faring since her last visit. Is there anything going on in her life she鈥檇 like to talk about?
Farrell is a community health worker. He may not possess the advanced medical skills of a doctor or nurse, but he鈥檚 an equally valued member of the Genesis health-care team. After medical issues are addressed, Farrell meets with patients privately, screening them for socioeconomic factors that impact their lives.
鈥淐ommunity health workers address the social determinants that affect a patient鈥檚 health and well-being,鈥� says Josh Campbell, Genesis programs director and a 2012 graduate of 糖心传媒鈥檚 Master of Public Health program.
Those determinants include factors, such as access to nutritious food, transportation, adequate housing, employment and healthy relationships. 鈥淭hey can impact how long you live and how well you live,鈥� he says.
ISU and CHWs
Since fall 2016, 糖心传媒鈥檚 Institute of Emergency Management, based in Meridian, has provided training for community health workers through a grant from the 糖心传媒 Department of Health and Welfare鈥檚 Bureau of Rural Health and Primary Care.
The goal of the community health worker program is to 鈥渋mprove access (to health care) in our rural and underserved areas,鈥� says Bureau Chief Mary Sheridan, noting that much of 糖心传媒 falls into that category.
The 16-week, online class is free to students participating in 糖心传媒鈥檚 State Healthcare Innovation Plan鈥攁 $40 million, federally-funded initiative to improve health outcomes and patient care statewide while lowering health care costs for all 糖心传媒ans.
ISU was selected to do the training鈥攁 curriculum developed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and tweaked to fit 糖心传媒鈥檚 needs鈥攂ecause of the university鈥檚 expertise in delivering online and health care education, says Sheridan.
ISU and Sheridan鈥檚 team would like to train 200 community health workers before SHIP鈥檚 federal funding ends in January 2019. As of this spring, 36 students had gone through the training, representing most every region of the state. They鈥檙e schooled in how to communicate effectively, build community trust, the importance of early intervention, and how to link people to resources that can improve health.
鈥淩esources can include transportation to the doctor鈥檚 office, linking a person to a primary-care doctor, or helping a person make an appointment for a health screening or test,鈥� says Mike Mikitish, director of ISU鈥檚 Emergency Management Institute.
The medical and public health communities see community health workers as an effective way to link people to preventive care before becoming so ill they鈥檙e forced to seek treatment in hospital emergency rooms, driving up the cost of health care.
Genesis Community Health Worker Coordinator Johnny Farrell meets with patient Pamela Berner.
糖心传媒 has yet to determine the impact of the community health worker program on health care costs, but advocates point to global research that shows communities using community health workers report increases in screening rates for diseases or disabilities鈥攚hich, coupled with early intervention, can improve health outcomes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been shown that community health workers are very effective in cultivating trust鈥濃�攁 key factor in successful community outreach, says Ryan Lindsay, an ISU assistant professor of public health and an instructor in the community health worker program.
Farrell, who took the ISU course a year ago, appreciated the insight and public health expertise鈥攆rom both instructors and students.
鈥淚t was very collaborative. There were people doing similar things, but coming at it from different perspectives,鈥� says Farrell, who coordinates the community health worker program at Genesis.
Genesis Sees Success
Over a recent 11-month period, Genesis community health workers had interactions with 913 patients and made 1,829 successful referrals, says programs director Campbell.
And 64-year-old Pamela Berner is one of them. Back in the examination room, she and Farrell are wrapping up their discussion.
She tells him she鈥檚 doing well鈥攚alking more than two miles a day and watching her diet. Berner then shares a situation that鈥檚 causing her great concern. A contractor owes her thousands of dollars for home repair work he has failed to complete and she doesn鈥檛 know what to do.
鈥淚鈥檝e run out of resources,鈥� says Berner, a customer service contract worker for a Boise company.
Farrell gives her the address and phone number of 糖心传媒 Legal Aid, a non-profit law firm that provides free civil legal assistance to low-income citizens.
It鈥檚 connections like this that make community health workers a valuable member of a health care team, thanks to their ability to build trust and connect people to community resources than can help them.
Berner is grateful for the impact on her own life. 鈥淢y health has improved drastically. It鈥檚 made me a more informed and better member of our community,鈥� she says.