Introducing Community Health Worker success stories

Although not everyone is familiar with CHWs, they are an important part of the region’s health care system.

Most CHWs live in or near the areas they serve, so they are trusted members of the community. CHWs provide connections to resources and help people navigate the health care system. They help clients access services and help schedule and find transportation for visits and follow-up appointments, which can greatly improve health outcomes — especially for those in underserved communities or whose primary language isn’t English.

MARC supports these frontline public health professionals through collaboration, training and advocacy support, and by working to strengthen funding through insurance reimbursement. The KC Regional CHW Collaborative, convened by MARC, is supported by grants from the Health Forward Foundation and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

For this ongoing series, we are collecting stories from CHWs that illustrate the many ways they help people in our community access services and care — leading to healthy outcomes.