From Empty Nest to Empowering Communities: Rebecca Hill-Larsen’s Journey as a CHW

What inspired you to become a CHW?  Empty nesting! My youngest was going to college and I was looking for a full-time job. I had been working part time as a food cupboard coordinator and a professional organizer focused on senior moves. A friend of mine knew I was looking and mentioned the open CHW position at NCHC.

Can you describe a typical day in your role as a CHW?  I’ve said before all my days are the same- I make a list of things I want to get done, and then the day gets going in a different direction! My day can include meeting a client at their provider appointment to help advocate for their concerns, listening to a client as she tries to reach her goals, teaching the next generation of CHWs in CHW training, working with the North Country Maternity Network  to facilitate doula care for pregnant people in the North Country, presenting information on vaccination to CHWs, community member or clients or working on the CHW Coalition steering committee.

What do you find most rewarding about your work? I love helping people understand their world better, so public health education is rewarding. The most rewarding is when clients who are confused or overwhelmed and understand I’m there to help and become vulnerable or open up and ask for help. When they say thank you, I have no one else and couldn’t have done this alone, it really hits home how important the CHW relationship is in our communities.

Can you share a memorable experience or story from your time as a CHW? I met one of my first clients in a motel, he was unhoused and on the Covid voucher program. He would bounce from hotel to hospital to another hotel, yet every time I found him, he was looking on the bright side and if it was baseball season, he’d tell me about how the Red Sox were doing. We worked together on many applications and finally he got into a nursing home. “I’m in Shangra-la” he said about his new safe stable living situation.

What advice would you give to someone considering becoming a CHW? Take the CHW training! Talk with people who are CHWs, and if you don’t know any personally, contact the NH CHW Coalition. The networking opportunities are great for finding CHWs in your area, even learning about open positions.

Are you inspired by Rebecca’s story? Learn more about becoming a CHW or supporting CHW initiatives in New Hampshire at https://nhchw.org/become-a-chw/