Our health education initiatives are dedicated to improving the health of our community’s most vulnerable people. We’re establishing and supporting Community Health Advocates in low-income housing communities throughout the state. These geographically distinct neighborhoods have alarmingly high rates of chronic disease and obesity. Community Health Advocates who live in these neighborhoods are effective in lowering chronic disease risk factors and barriers to better health while promoting healthier behavior and environments.

Our vision of Community Health Workers builds out from a mono-cultural approach (for example, Spanish speaking Promotoras) to one that lives in all the neighborhoods in a community and find ways to work with all the cultures that are found there.

This program is a cost-effective way to extend services into a community; it builds a feed-back loop between the neighborhoods and the housing authority, Public Health and health care providers; it helps the most vulnerable live healthier lives.

At its core, this project is about connecting people. It reduces the barriers to health, but also the barriers that prevent neighbors from knowing neighbors. It builds a stronger, more supportive community. It is grassroots, boots on the ground outreach, touching and changing the lives of people who need it most.