HOW TO FIND A CHW
Many job titles fall under the CHW umbrella. You can find CHWs and similar professionals in schools, hospitals and clinics, mobile health units, police departments, social service and public health-focused organizations. CHWs are everywhere – serving their communities!
Ask your provider (doctor/nurse/receptionist) for help with exactly what you need.
You can say something like:
“Is there someone who can help me with some of the things that make it hard to follow my doctor’s orders?”
“Can someone here help me remember to take my pills (choose healthy food, find transportation, etc)?”
“Do you have a person who can help me stay on top of my health?”
“Do you have someone here who can help me with some of my difficulties in following my care plan? (transportation, child care, paying for medications and devices, etc.)”
Helping patients access the resources they need is a fundamental part of your healthcare team’s role so don’t hesitate to ask for help. In their aim to treat “the whole person” (not just medical issues), your team can connect you with services that address social, emotional, and economic aspects of your health. Your conversations are confidential so you can trust that your privacy will be respected. They are there to support you in every aspect of your health.
Another way to find CHWs is to contact your local public health agency. See below for a list of public health organizations working with CHWs throughout NH.
The following agencies have contacts in the CHW field, either as CHW Training/AHEC organizations or as the leaders of regional public health networks.
To contact the CHW Training organization/AHECs for connections to CHWs in your region:
Southern NH AHEC – Paula Smith psmith@snhahec.org or Carli Hughes chughes@snhahec.org
North Country Health Consortium – Amber Culver aculver@nchcnh.org or Dhaniele Duffy dduffy@nchcnh.org
To contact your local public health network for connections to CHWs near you:
Speare Primary Care (Mid-State) 103 Boulder Point Drive, Plymouth, NH 03264 – CHW is Brandi Conner bconner@spearehospital.com
Greater Derry Community Health Services, Inc. (South Central Public Health Network) & (The Upper Room Family Resource Center) – 14A Tsienneto Road, Suite 301, Derry, NH 03038
Partnership for Public Health, Inc. (Winnipesaukee) – Carissa Elphick celphick@pphnh.org, or info@pphnh.org
Seacoast Public Health Network (Raymond, NH) – Julia Meuse Foulkes jmeuse@seacoastphn.org
Greater Monadnock Public Health Network/Healthy Monadnock Alliance – Kerry Kelley, CHW kkelley@cheshire-med.com
North Country Public Health Network (North Country Health Consortium) – Annette Carbonneau acarbonneau@nchcnh.org
For a complete list of NH’s Regional Public Health Networks: https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/programs-services/population-health/regional-public-health-networks