District Best Practice Session #2: Community Health Workers: Building Community Capacity
Thursday, September 14
10:45 - 11:45 AM
Emigrant Peak
Using Centers for Disease Control Covid-19 Relief grant funding, Healthy Petaluma District and Foundation created a Community Health Worker (CHW) Program to provide education and resources to community members in response to the pandemic. The program has since expanded beyond focusing on COVID response to include broader community outreach to connect individuals to the health and social services they need. Clinical-based and Community-Based Community Health Workers are making a difference in their communities. As the role of the Community Health Worker evolves, an opportunity exists to strengthen communication and collaboration between Clinical Based and Community Based Community Health Workers to serve our patients/residents better.
Learning outcomes:
- Understand Community Health Workers' many roles in connecting underserved populations to the health and social services they need.
- Understand the importance of Community Health Workers building capacity and partnering with community-based organizations.
- Understand what it takes to develop a Community Health Worker Program.
Presented by Ramona Faith, CEO & Benjamin Spierings, Healthy Petaluma District & Foundation
Ramona Faith, Chief Executive Officer
Ramona Faith, Chief Executive Officer, is a health care executive with over 25 years of health care leadership experience. She has served southern Sonoma County as Chief Nursing Officer and Administrator for Petaluma Valley Hospital and as a health care consultant in hospital operations, quality, and risk. She joined Healthy Petaluma District & Foundation as CEO in April 2011, with a commitment to Healthy Petaluma's mission to improve the health and well-being of the residents of southern Sonoma County.
Ben Spierings, Community Health Program Manager
Ben Spierings, Community Health Program Manager, graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Global Disease Biology. Ben served as a community health educator in Peace Corps Ethiopia and worked as a contractor for Providence Health Community Benefit, where he worked to convene Sonoma County Health Action chapters and community partners. He joined the Healthy Petaluma District & Foundation as the Community Health Program Manager in August 2021 and manages both the Community Health Initiative of the Petaluma Area and the District’s Community Health Worker Program.