The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #41597

Romelia Rodriguez, CHW¹, Rita Taylor, CHW², Maria Zoquier, CHW², and Bakary Tandia, BA³. (1) Community Health and Asthma Mangement Project - CHAMP, Hunter College/CUNY, 425 East 25th St, Box 616, New York, NY 10010, 212-481-7659, rgrodri@hunter.cuny.edu, (2) CHW Network of NYC, 425 East 25th St, Box 616, New York, NY 10010, (3) Health Services Program, African Services Committee, 429 W. 127 St, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10027

This session will describe the formation and development of the Community Health Worker Network of NYC. It will describe the process followed in forming the network. It will explain the Network’s goals and recent accomplishments.

The Community Health Worker Network of NYC is a professional association of Community Health Workers (CHWs). The Network’s mission is to provide a forum for networking opportunities, the sharing of resources, and the expansion of the community health worker field. The Network promotes dialogue among CHWs so that they may develop a collective voice to inform policy issues relevant to their practice. The Network has been in existence for about 20 months. General membership meetings are held monthly. All Network news is published on their website at www.chwnetwork.org.

CHWs are trusted members of the community they serve and function as frontline healthcare and social service professionals. They work with the underserved to improve health outcomes and access to services through education, advocacy and by creating change in health and social service systems. CHWs generally come from the community in which they work and share ethnicity, culture, language and life experiences.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will appreciate the description and role of CHWs in New York City, a large metropolitan area.
• Participants will hear the issues that led CHWs to organize and seek support within their own ranks. Presenting CHWs will discuss challenges faced in organizing and strategies used to meet some of those challenges.
• Participants will learn how the Network keeps its members abreast of changes in the field, informed on issues of importance and in touch with each other.

Keywords: Community Health Advisor, Community-Based Health Promotion

Related Web page: www.chwnetwork.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.