Community Health Workers (CHWs) are trusted traditional health workers who share lived experiences, language and cultural backgrounds with the communities they serve. Depending on their organization, CHWs may help people access resources like community and cultural connections, social services, health services, and assistance with food, housing, and home utilities.
CHWs can be paid employees or volunteers. Either way, CHWs are essential public health professionals and play a key role in:
- Addressing racial and health inequities, where some groups of people have easier access to health opportunities over others.
- Advancing personal health literacy, a person’s ability to find, understand and use health information and related services. This helps them make decisions for their wellbeing, taking action for themselves, their families and others.
How to find and connect with a community health worker
There are community-based organizations (CBOs) that have CHW programs. Anyone can reach out to a CHW for help. Ask a CBO near you to see if they provide any of these services in your preferred language:
- Economic stability:
Housing and shelter, utility assistance, financial education, housing, workforce education.
- Education access:
Early childhood education, adult education, education equity, small business development.
- Health care access:
Primary care, dental care, mental & behavioral health, prenatal delivery and postpartum, immunization, health promotion and disease prevention education, Oregon Health Plan applications.
- Social and community resources:
Access to healthy food, basic needs, transportation, wheelchair maintenance workshops, cultural events and workshops.
Adelante Mujeres
- Economic stability
- Education access
- Health care access
- Social and community resources
Bienestar
503-693-2937
(Only available to people living in Bienestar properties.)
- Economic stability
- Education access
- Social and community resources
Centro Cultural
- Economic stability
- Education access
- Health care access
- Supports OHP applications
- Social and community resources
Doulas Latinas International
- Economic stability
- Education access
- Health care access
- Social and community resources
Neighborhood Health Center
- Economic stability
- Health care access
- Supports OHP applications
- Social and community resources
Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center
- Economic stability
- Health care access
- Supports OHP applications
- Social and community resources
Vietnamese Community of Oregon
- Economic stability
- Education access
- Healthcare access
- OHP assisters available
- Social and community resources
Lutheran Community Services Northwest
- Healthcare access
- OHP assisters available
- Social and community resources
Raices de Bienestar
- Education access
- Healthcare access
- Mental health services
- Social and community resources
New health literacy tools and resources available for CHWs and organizations
There are now new tools and resources on improving health literacy in both English and Spanish, thanks to partnerships with CHWs and their organizations, as well as funding from a 2021 OMH Advancing Health Literacy grant. We invite CHWs in the region to use the materials below for better serving their communities:
- CompartiendoTe
Register online through Zoom | Inscripción a la reunión - Zoom
Monthly meetings over Zoom. These are one-hour meetings facilitated in Spanish for CHWs and allies that center on CHW partner needs. Examples of needs include connecting with other CHWs for mentorship, networking, and learning opportunities, as well as sharing resources.
For interpretation in English or other languages and accommodation requests, please contact Magdalena Ramirez. Everyone who registers will get emailed copies of notes and materials discussed during any given meeting.
- Promotores Aliados Por Equidad y Liderazgo
Sign up for the listserv.
A CHW learning collaborative by CHWs, for CHWs. The space promotes CHW capacity building and professional development in a cultural and linguistically relevant manner.
Workshops are currently being facilitated in Spanish only for Spanish-speaking CHWs serving communities with a Spanish language preference and limited English proficiency. For questions about capacity building and professional development opportunities in English and other languages, please contact Magdalena Ramirez.- PDF tools and guides for CHWs
- Advancing Personal and Organizational Health Literacy through Community Health Workers (English | Spanish)
PDF: Your Guide to Create Effective Information Materials (English | Spanish)
Features best practices to follow when creating written documents or outreach materials.PDF: Best Practices to Improve Health Literacy Skills in Community Health Workers (English | Spanish)
Best practices for CHWs looking to raise their health literacy skills while developing strategies on improving services and processes within their roles and organizations.- PDF: Tools to Document the Work of Community Health Workers (English | Spanish)
Forms for collecting and organizing data to better track CHW work and its impacts at the population or community level.
How to become certified as community health worker
If you are interested in becoming a community health worker, please see the Oregon Health Authority website.
For more information about CHWs in Washington County, contact:
[email protected].
How to connect with a community health worker through your health plan
If you are a member of the Oregon Health Plan (OHP), you can connect with a CHW through your health plan or any of the coordinated care organizations (CCO) listed below.
You can also connect with CHWs outside Washington County. Click on any of the hyperlinks below to learn more:
If you are a member of OHP and live outside of the Portland metro region, you can connect with a CHW through your CCO.