CHWAR works to partner with organizations striving for change in health, equity, and social justice in Rochester.
Collabs and events
Rochester Community Health Urban Gardening
Jason DeLooze, a CHW training graduate, is leading a local community garden, and several of our CHW students are supporting this effort. What a great demonstration of leadership and dedication
Alfredo Maldonado, CHW training graduate, is pictured above
"More than 10% of US households experience food insecurity in any given year "
----Mark Nord
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"The benefits of community-based gardening projects likely extend beyond food security, as gardens provide fresh vegetables, and the process of gardening involves physical exercise. Family and social relationships can also be strengthened through community gardening, since community members provide advice and support to help overcome challenges and all receive the benefits the gardening project offers"
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---- Mary Elizabeth Bathum
Navigation for Health Care Equity
A Community Collaboration
Finding the right care can be hard and barriers to access and use of digital tools can make it even harder.
To make it easier for patients to find the care they need when they need it, UR Medicine is collaborating with the Community Health Workers Association of Rochester and other community partners to launch the Digital Health Equity Navigation Training (DHENT).
Through DHENT, interested community navigators, including community health workers, care managers, librarians, etc., will learn how to best help you get the most out of online patient portals, including MyChart.
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Interested in learning more? Call (585) 278-6112, (585) 957-0032 or email us at chwarochester@gmail.com.
Perinatal Oral Health & Smart Connected Oral Health Community
Dental treatment is safe and important for pregnant women! In fact, oral health issues are common during pregnancy. If not addressed, they can negatively affect the baby. Learn more about the importance of oral hygiene for you and your children and ways to access care.
This project, SMARTTeeth-Smart Connected Oral Health Community: Using AI and Digital Technologies to Close the Gaps in Oral Health Disparity, is made possible thanks to funding from the University of Rochester Medical Center Health Equity Program support Office, and collaborations with URMC obstetricians and the Unversity of Rochester.
Elizabeth Pena (CHW) and Mandy Fraser (Program Administrator) visited the Ibero Development Center to present a day in the life of a Dental Community Health Worker to the 2024 CHW trainees
Sharing Resources and Unifying Voices for Health, Equity, and Social Justice
Lucia Colindres CHW Leader and NACHW Ambassador joined NACHW ED Denise Smith for an international panel discussion with Last Mile Health on Community Health and Social Equity during COVID-19. Also attended by Moderator Gaurab Basu Co-Director of the Center for Health Equity Education & Advocacy (CHEEA) at the Cambridge Health Alliance; NACHW Ally Alexandra Quinn, Chief Executive Officer of Health Leads and Katie Bollbach, Director, US Public Health Accompaniment Unit at Partners In Health.
Lucia brought the awareness of a CHW role in Rochester in response to the pandemic, historic inequity and protests concerning the death of Daniel Prude. In response, Lucia is creating authentic partnerships with local organizations across ethnicity and sector to share resources and unify their voices. CHWs in her community are deeply connected to local issues of health, equity and social justice.
NACHW will continue to amplify the perspectives, roles and impact of CHWs. In the last three months, we have hosted four national webinars on CHW self-care, how CHW Networks are responding to COVID-19, community mental health needs and CHWs’ roles in addressing racism. Hundreds of participants from across the country are learning about these local initiatives. When we come together, we can share our stories, our struggles and strategies to support our communities! To support your work with individuals, families, and communities, NACHW has developed a series of COVID-19 resources highlighting national perspectives from CHWs on their information, resource, and self-care needs. See also below an article with CHW insights on the impact of COVID-19 to their personal and professional lives.