Q:What's a typical workday like for you?
A typical work day is very busy. I am the lead for the Healthy Heart program for women age 40 and over who have heart disease or could have heart failure. I do a lot of follow-ups with them, coaching around lifestyle changes, including encouraging them to do physical activity and eat fruits and vegetables. When intake is very busy and I help non-English speakers with applications, I take them to the food shelf and to get housing assistance. I work with anybody, but whenever a Hmong client comes in and she doesn't know English, I will get pulled to help that client if no one else is available.
Q:How does your role fit into the bigger healthcare picture?
I see myself as a liaison between the medical clinic and the client. For example, there is no word for "cell" in Hmong. If a client would go to the provider and the provider talks to them about healthy cells, they would not know what that is. I explain it to the client.
Q:Who do you interact with during the course of the day?
I interact with my Healthy Heart clients, with co-workers, healthcare providers and my supervisor.
Q:Why did you become a community healthcare worker?
I decided to become a community health worker because I believe that I can change the community and the people I'm working with, just by helping them along the way to reach a goal. I have that connection with them.
