Community Health Archives

Living a Healthy Lifestyle: Community Health Workers Promoting Diabetes Prevention Among Families

As type II diabetes continues to rise, especially among our Latino population, it is important to educate our communities on the preventative measures and risk factors for this disease. While most of these interventions focus on individual behavior change, more recent research suggests that a family-centered approach to chronic disease prevention provides promising results. In this blog, we will discuss the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and how Community Health Workers play a key role in implementing family-centered diabetes interventions.

October 30th, 2020|

Food Insecurity In the United States

Consistent and reliable access to food is a challenge that millions of Americans face at some point throughout the year. In fact, in 2018, nearly 14.3 million households were food insecure.1 Food insecurity is when a household has difficulty providing enough food for the entire family due to factors such as financial hardship and lack of access to resources such as social service and government programs.

July 24th, 2020|

Community Health Workers are Helping the Rio Grande Valley’s Residents Through the Pandemic

The coronavirus outbreak is creating unique challenges for Hispanic and Latino individuals that live within the tight-knit border communities (often referred to as colonias) of the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas. Across MHP Salud’s initiatives, Community Health Workers (CHWs) are stepping up to ensure that individuals are informed and receive the help they need during these difficult times.

June 17th, 2020|

CHWs Create Pathways to Health for Rio Grande Valley Residents

Our Community Health Worker (CHW)-led program, Juntos Podemos (Together We Can), is helping residents in the Rio Grande Valley change their lives by providing education and classes that promote healthy lifestyles. The program works specifically with Hispanic families who are enrolled in or eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP). It lasts 4-weeks and runs multiple times throughout the year to help as many families as possible.

August 27th, 2019|

CHWs are a Critical Lifeline in the Era of Expensive Prescriptions

Community Health Workers, trust-worthy liaisons between medical professionals and their community, are a great resource for patients combating the negative consequences associated with skipping prescription drugs. CHWs can educate those who can’t afford their prescription drugs on how to lead healthier lifestyles and help stress the importance of managing chronic diseases.

March 7th, 2019|

Mental Health CHW-led Programs Show Promise in Latino Communities

The lack of access to information and services in Spanish can prevent many Latinos from seeking care. Many CHW-led interventions recruit bi-lingual members of the community, allowing for correct interpretation of information, effective education and a way to address stigma. More importantly, it allows individuals who face language barriers the path to express their mental health concerns without fear of misinterpretation.

February 7th, 2019|

CHWs Can Meet the Health Needs of Island Residents

In 2015, chronic diseases (those that are not infectious but rather have slow progression and long duration) accounted for over two-thirds of all deaths in the Pacific Islands. Tragically, 70-75% of deaths in the Pacific Islands are considered premature, occurring before age 60. There is clearly a demonstrated need for high quality, cost-effective healthcare services.

December 10th, 2018|

Our Program, Navigator, Makes a Big Impact in the Rio Grande Valley

Of all the areas that MHP Salud operates in, our agency recognized that there was the greatest need for insurance enrollment assistance in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Not only are there many uninsured individuals in the area, but environmental challenges unique to the region create additional challenges for people navigating the often complex insurance process to connect to care.

September 27th, 2018|

Community Health Workers in Michigan, A Historic Look at the Rise of the Profession

The first Community Health Workers in Michigan were trained in the 1960s to provide services to their communities. Around this time, the federal government began providing funding for community-based programs that used CHWs to reach underserved communities. Community Health Workers in Michigan and across the country began having an impact on the national level when in 1978, CHWs formed the New Professionals Special Primary Interest Group in the American Public Health Association (APHA).

August 21st, 2018|

What is a Food Desert?

This lack of access could be a result of many factors. For some communities, healthy food isn’t available. There may not be a grocery store within 10 or 20 miles and food is often purchased from fast food restaurants or convenience stores where many items are highly processed and have lower nutritional value than fresh produce. In some cases, healthy food may be technically available but not accessible.

March 20th, 2018|