Jefferson Health is committed to improving health outcomes in Philadelphia’s most underserved communities, writes Kayla Yup for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

That commitment is supplemented by building trust and helping community members be part of the solution.

In April 2023, Jefferson Health launched the Community Health Worker Academy. The 13-month training program teaches community members the skills needed to become front-line public health workers.

The program is especially effective because it allows those with expertise in their communities address needs beyond physical health. This includes things like addressing access to transportation that affect health outcomes.

Lydia King, a recent graduate of the program, can attest to this.

She was assigned to help a liver transplant patient struggling to find transportation for his two checkups a week from his Carbon County home to Jefferson’s Center City location.

King subsequently secured a shuttle bus for him through the county’s Medical Assistance Transportation Program.

“Knowing how overwhelmed he was by the whole process of being transplanted, not being able to work, and having a family that he needed to provide for, it was very fulfilling to help just bridge such a small gap,” King said.

Graduates of the program often receive offers to continue working as community health workers at Jefferson.

Read more about Jefferson Health’s Community Health Worker Academy in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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