our story

Introduction

Founding members have been meeting regularly since January 2021. At our first all member retreat on June 7 we crafted our personal vision and mission statements which were subsequently crafted by a smaller workgroup into proposed collective vision and mission statements. The group agreed that we would use the APHA /NACHW CHW definition as an umbrella for the many CHW job titles and that CHW and Allies would self identify.

Based in the following values /principles 

• Promote CHW leadership and self determination
• Be inclusive of multicultural diversity 
• Honor mutual respect
• Advocate with compassion and commitment
• Inspire collaborative learning with the freedom to explore innovative ideas

Several group agreements informed this process:

Prior to developing the Vision and Mission statements, the CA CHW organizing group agreed to the following: 

1. The organization will be a Community of Practice who share a common concern, and interest in a set of problems, or an interest in a topic and who come together to fulfill both individual and group goals. (See Creating Communities of Practice.)   In this case support of the Community Health Worker workforce, actively recruiting CHW as well as allies.  
2. The organization will use the American Public Health Association (APHA)/National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW) definition of CHW as an umbrella term for all job titles:
3. Anyone who self-identifies as a CHW based on the APHA/NACHW definition will be considered a CHW by the CA CHW CoP; all other members will be considered allies. 
4. One of our goals is to advocate for and support the emergence of a multicultural state level Community Health Worker association in California.

NACHW Definition of CHW 

"A Community Health Worker (CHW) is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served. This trusting relationship enables the CHW to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. A CHW also builds individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support and advocacy."

Proposed Vision Statement: 

A multiculturally inclusive Community Health Worker (CHW) learning collaborative that advances the CHW role and scope of practice and amplifies their voices in achieving health equity and social justice within the full spectrum of practice settings in California.   

Proposed Mission statement: 

To  promote  sustainable integration and professional recognition of the Community Health Worker workforce through partnerships, leadership development, education, training, capacity building, community organizing, and policy advocacy. 

Next steps will be to take this proposed vision and mission out to the wider CHW and ally community for discussion and feedback via a survey and small discussion groups/forums online and in person (covid restrictions permitting.)

A steering committee formed from founding members and those who come forward to do the work of organizational development currently leads this emerging organization. Our stated intention is that there will be a nominations committee and membership elections to form a board of directors by August 2022.

   Rank  Language                 Est. Number of Speakers

1. English                         20,379,282
2. Spanish                       10,672,610
3. Chinese                       1,231,425
4. Tagalog                        796,451
5. Vietnamese                 558,932
6. Korean                         367,523
7. Armenian                    192,980
8. Persian                         203,770 

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 10:50 AM - 11:10 AM

Carol West, CHW; BSC OT; MBBCH; DCH , Community Health Worker Initiative of Sonoma County (CHWISC), Petaluma, CAStephanie Merrida-Grant, CHW , Community Health Worker Initiative of Sonoma County (CHWISC.org), Petaluma, CACynthia Morfin, CHW , Community Health Worker Initiative of Sonoma County (CHWISC.org), Petaluma, CA 

"Think globally but act locally" is the mobilizing premise of the Community Health Workers (CHW) who in January 2011 founded the Community Health Worker Initiative of Sonoma County in California. Using core CHW competency skills we are building relationships in our community with frontline health workers, with many different job titles and diverse cultural back grounds, whose scope of practice falls within the APHA definition of a CHW. Attending regional and national conferences that support the professional development of CHWs, facilitated our learning about health policy advances made in other states, peer support models that are successfully supporting the professional role and scope of practice of the of the CHW throughout the USA. Learning from the national leaders in our field has expedited the process of organizational development of our own peer support network , building local leadership capacity, promoting cultural humility and inclusivity, advocating for lifelong learning, ongoing professional development and self advocacy. Our work is extremely challenging. If we are to be effective builders of healthy communities and advocates for our families, friends and neighbors, we must first build our own professional community at a local, regional state and national level to keep our hope and tenacity alive to motivate the work that still must be done to build a more equitable and just health care system in our country. While we are excited about the possibilities that the affordable health care act might bring; we share what can be done with passion, vision and commitment. 

Community Health Worker Initiative of Sonoma County