Extension Rural Health Connection
Extension Rural Health Connection
Community Health Workers Supporting Whole Family Health
Table of Contents
Overview
Community Health Workers bridge Extension and rural healthcare systems to support whole family health and well-being for people in Wisconsin.
Community Health Workers are trusted community members, who respond to emerging needs using a whole family lens. Extension Rural Health Connection leverages Extension’s Health & Well-Being Institute expertise and community assets to establish and test the feasibility of a network of Extension-based community health workers. Extension Rural Health Connection is funded by the Rural Partnerships Institute supported by the USDA. The project timeline is August 2023 – December 2026.
What can a community health worker do?
A community health worker is a frontline public health worker and a trusted community member. This trusting relationship enables the worker to serve as a link between health/social services and the community. A community health worker can:
- Facilitate access to services.
- Improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.
- Build individual and community capacity with outreach, education, and support.
Project Locations
Ways We Help
Extension Rural Health Connection community health workers provide evidence-informed programs and connect individuals to resources to support whole family health.
Objectives
We collaborate
Engaging partners and community members to identify community health priorities.
We build
Designing an Extension-based community health worker program with and for rural and Tribal communities to meet their healthcare needs.
We evaluate
Uncover the short-term health benefits of a whole family CHW program for the rural and Tribal communities who received services.
We assess
Assess the impact and feasibility of an Extension-based community health worker program.
Quick Links
Project Team
Yesenia Meza, Adams County
Miranda Bailey, Menominee County/Nation
Ka Zoua Thao, Wood County
Amber Canto, Health and Well-Being Institute Director, Division of Extension
Larissa Duncan, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, School of Human Ecology
Zoua Vang, Professor and Extension Specialist, School of Human Ecology
Angie Flickinger, Healthy Eating & Active Living Program Manager, Division of Extension
Jen Park-Mroch, Health & Well-Being Specialist, Division of Extension
Jen Whitty, Health Promotion Program Coordinator, Division of Extension
Sheray Wallace, Community Resource Navigator, Center for Patient Partnership, Division of Extension
Jonas Lee, MD, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
Hmongshee Khang, CHW Training Coordinator, Population Health at UW Madison
John Shutske, Professor in Agriculture, UW Madison
Bridget Mouchon, Human Development and Relationships Educator, Division of Extension, UW Madison
Lanette Walker, Enrichment & Support Specialist, Ho-Chunk Nation Education Department
Angie Sullivan, Older Americans Act Consultant, Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources (GWAAR)
Sky VanRossum, Special Programs Manager, Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources (GWAAR)
Jessica Kimber, Community Health Specialist, Department of Public Health
Harvey Padek, Director of CHW Operations, Milwaukee AHEC
Mariela Quesada Centeno, Manager, Roots4Change
Shelly Shaw, Director, Office of Community Health at UW Madison Dept of Family Medicine and Community Health
Lindsay Pearl, Great Rivers HUB Director, Great Rivers United Way
Cristy Alvarado, Community Health Worker, GWAAR
Megan Timm, Regional Director of Community Health for SSM Health of Wisconsin
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding this program in Wisconsin, please contact us through the info below:
Get in Touch
extension rural health connection
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