A new county Public Health Services (PHS) Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities program is now underway in San Joaquin County. Through this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant, PHS is working with six community partners, funding 14 community health workers (CHWs) to help residents in high-risk communities to overcome challenges that often make it very difficult to live a healthy life.

“The CHWs will receive intensive training on strategies to improve access to preventive health care services, increase management of underlying health conditions, and impact the social conditions that serve as life barriers for residents,” according to Dr. Maggie Park, PHS Health Officer.

The program will be utilizing Unite Us, a single software platform that will enable the CHWs to refer eligible community members to a multitude of resources and support services, such as health education classes, dental care, food pantries, and housing assistance.

The CHWs will be conducting daily outreach and will focus on building trust in the community. Each new participant will be asked to complete a brief assessment to ascertain what assistance they may need. A CHW will then contact the participant within three business days to follow up with a more thorough assessment over the telephone or in-person. The CHW will then refer the participant via Unite Us to the services they need.

The referral organization(s) will contact the participant directly to provide that assistance.

The CHW will monitor the referral status to ensure the participant has received the appropriate services but also to see if there are any subsequent needs.

The program will run through August 2024. For more information, contact Amy Rhoades, PHS’ Public Health Educator and CHW Program Coordinator at 209-468-2243.