CommunityHealth makes quality health care for all a reality
And it’s all thanks to our Health Education team!
The Health Education team here at CommunityHealth hosts weekly workshops on holistic health and integrative wellness, tables at likeminded community-based organizations to resource map with community members, registers people as new patients with our clinics, and more.
The Health Education team were key leaders in CommunityHealth’s deployment of mobile care units to police precincts, where they supported migrants in their transition to Chicago. The Health Education team welcomed asylum seekers in their native language of Spanish with open hearts and offered a familiar face from the communities and countries they migrated from, many of which coming from Venezuela where our Health Education & Outreach Manager is from.
Through the culturally competent, compassionate care of our Health Education team, CommunityHealth meets our patients where they are in, in their own neighborhoods, and in their native languages.
In the intersectional health care safety net, we ensure a truly effective continuum of care by serving patients both inside and outside of clinic doors with regard to Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), through workshops like the nutrition classes that our Community Health Worker Marzena Zagata leads.
“Understanding the challenges of our community fuels my drive to make a meaningful impact! I believe healthcare should be available to everyone, no matter their financial situation or legal status. I believe that everyone deserves quality care, and no one should be denied medical attention due to economic or legal barriers. I’m holding onto that belief tightly and working to make it a reality at CommunityHealth. “
As we continue to grow, it’s essential that we remain grounded in our intention to serve the whole person with a patient-centered approach. CommunityHealth recognizes that cultural competency starts with leaders that comes from the communities served, and which is why our Health Education is one of the most transformative services for patients, where our team represents our patient populations, always with a smile.
CommunityHealth hosted the first Health Education class in Polish on how to live happily and healthily with diabetes since 2016, where patients were invited to prepare avocado egg salad sandwiches and smoothies while learning lessons on physical activity and nutritious diets.
Patients were educated on how to read food labels and manage portion control, even participating in an exercise session led by one of our volunteers. Beyond nutrition and fitness, patients were introduced to stress management as a means to control the disease and empower resilience.
“Being a Community Health Worker (CHW) means being a beacon of support for the community, someone deeply committed to making a positive difference in the lives of others. I believe that the best care comes from truly listening to those we care for. Healthcare should be focused on the needs and voices of our patients, not just the healthcare system itself.”
Quality health care for all is made a reality thanks to health care providers that lead with their humanity, like Marzena.
As the largest volunteer-based free health clinic in the nation, serving primary care and over 20 specialty care services to the uninsured, underserved, and undocumented in their 3 native languages at 3 locations across Chicago, CommunityHealth prioritizes clinicians with lived experience that represent the communities we serve.
With free classes offered weekly, including Bienestar para Mujeres, the Health Education team is always open to new volunteers excited to host workshops relating to fitness, nutrition, emotional wellness, art, and holistic health.
Learn more about what the Health Education offers here at CommunityHealth and apply to volunteer!
