A Day in the Life of a New York City Community Health Worker

October 23, 2018Rosaura guides her clients through a challenging health system during the most vulnerable moments in their lives.Last week I shadowed Rosaura Polanco, a community health worker in the South Bronx in New York City, where she provides underserved women with health education and essential health services. Having only seen examples of community health workers operating in sub-Saharan Africa, I asked Rosaura what unites them around the world, despite their differing roles and contexts.“Empathy,” she replied. “I practice empathy, for everything, all the time.”Rosaura works forGrameen PrimaCare, a sister organization toGrameen America that provides women from low-income immigrant communities with high-quality, affordable primary care. By providing health education to women enrolled in the Grameen loan program, which provides group-based microfinancing for small business, Rosaura reaches a population that often remains hidden, excluded from formal institutions such as health facilities.She knows the community she serves because she ’s part of it.Her morning begins with attending a loan group meeting of around 40, mostly Latina, women.  She sits patiently as participants deliver their repayments and discuss their business plans. These meetings can get highly charged: if someone doesn’t repay on time, the rest of the group shares the burden. Then Rosaura stands up and shares information about the dangers of high levels of sugar in the diet.Over the course o...

Source: IntraHealth International - October 23, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: mnathe Source Type: news