The public health field is rapidly growing as more people enter to help the general public live their healthiest lives. One of the professions, community health workers (CHWs), help the community in many ways. CHWs are frontline public health workers who act as liaisons “between the health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve quality and cultural competence of service delivery.”[1] Also known as Community Health Aid, Health Coach, Promotora, and Community Navigators, CHWs are trusted members of the communities they serve.[2] Some of their responsibilities coordinating care services with health providers, improving access to community-based services, addressing the social determinants of health, and offering health education.

Also known as Community Health Aid, Health Coach, Promotora, and Community Navigators, CHWs are trusted members of the communities they serve.

2023 Health Impact Ohio Annual Report Highlight

By: Brittany Daniels, Director of Operations & Communications, Health Impact Ohio

Last month, Health Impact Ohio released our 2023 Annual Impact Report. By exploring this report, you will learn about our most recent project work, continued efforts in long-standing initiatives supported by HIO, project and community highlights, and our efforts to continue the momentum of our statewide impact from this year into 2024.

Special highlights from our President & CEO, Carrie Baker, in her annual report message, are included below.

“It has been an inspiring and insightful 2023 at Health Impact Ohio! The theme “momentum” comes to mind as I reflect on the year, one that has shaped our organization in ways we couldn’t have imagined as it began. We’ve worked to continue fulfilling our mission of improving social drivers of health, health equity, access and quality through community engagement and partnership, multistakeholder training and coaching, data collection and integration, and strategy development and deployment. All with one goal in mind: eliminating health disparities and helping to achieve optimal health outcomes for all people in every community.”

HUB Weekly Newsletter Resources: Health Literacy Training Opportunities

Franklin County Public Health announced three virtual Health Literacy training sessions in February and March, along with a March conference.

February and March Virtual Health Literacy Trainings:

Digital Health Literacy Training: Social Media Best Practices: February 1, 2024: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Digital Health Literacy Training: Giving Effective Presentations March 7, 2024: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

CLAS + Cultural Competency: March 21, 2024, 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

March 8th Access to Care & Community Engagement Focused Health Literacy Conference:

Publication Highlight: Sustainability of social needs resolution interventions: A call to consider cost

Health Impact Ohio is proud to have been contributing authors to a recent publication in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. The article, titled, Sustainability of social needs resolution interventions: A call to consider cost included authors from The Ohio State University, The Mid-Ohio Food Collective, Health Impact Ohio, and the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers. Among the contributing authors in this collaboration were Health Impact Ohio’s President and CEO, Carrie Baker, and our Chief of Policy & Partnerships, Jenelle Hoseus. The Central Ohio Pathways HUB, which is managed by Health Impact Ohio, also participated in the LINK study cited in the article. 

Thank you to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, who supported this work. Health Impact Ohio is proud to continue supporting work into sustainability and effectiveness of addressing social determinants of health and improved health outcomes for all Ohioans.