At our March 17 Transform Westside Summit, we were introduced to the first graduating class of the “HEALing the Westside” Community Health Workers program.

Developed in partnership with the Healing Community Center, the program is part of the Year 1 Strategies for the Westside Health Collaborative, an initiative driven by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation to holistically address health and wellness issues impacting residents on the Westside.

The group is dedicated to providing health education, health assessments, and leadership to the Westside community, ultimately increasing access of quality comprehensive health care by meeting residents where they are.

We want to be able to empower the community to live well,” said Aisha Williams, program manager for the Community Health Workers program. “We are committed to connecting residents to the resources that they need.”

The first group of community health workers was trained by the nationally-recognized community health management firm The Mosaic Group and has begun working in English Avenue and Vine City.

Part of that team is Nurse Latia Perry, a generalist Community Health Worker. Latia is also a fourth generation English Avenue resident and was the subject of a recent @WestsideOnTheRise* community profile. Click below to listen to Nurse Perry’s Westside story.

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For more information on the Community Health Worker program and the Westside Health Collaborative, click here.  

Pictured above: Inaugural “Healing the Wetside” Community Health Workers team, pictured with Karen Williams (CEO, Healing Community Center), Suganthi Simon (Program Officer, Blank Foundation), Marla Oros (President, The Mosaic Group), Krystal Billups (Senior Health Planner, The Mosaic Group) and Frank Fernandex (V.P. of Community Development, Blank Foundation). 

Back row: Karen, Latia Perry, Gary Jones, KyJuana Perry, Aisha Williams, Frank Fernandez

Front Row: Suganthi Simon, Marla Oros, Krystal Billups, Grita Semple, Shirley Allen, Kemazee Cooper.

 

*Audio interview available courtesy of #WestsideOnTheRise.