Trusted Connections: Community Health Workers

Community Health Worker recruitment flyer, Spanish version
(Start a Career as a Community Health Worker—Leading the Way to a Healthier Community)
Courtesy of Healthy Neighborhoods, City of San Antonio’s Metropolitan Health District

San Antonio’s Healthy Neighborhoods program often recruits non-traditional candidates to serve as community health workers/community connectors. The program looks for people who are passionate about the health of their neighbors, are willing to dive into the asset building community development model, and can work independently to create programs that complement their skills.

Community Health Workers (CHWs) serve as connectors between health and social services and their communities by promoting the community’s voice and facilitating access to services within the healthcare and social services systems. The CHW movement has grown over the past 20 years, and has been embraced by governmental agencies, hospitals, universities, and community-based organizations as an effective way to address health concerns in communities that are underserved. CHW programs take a broad range of approaches, but they are all committed to health equity and to addressing health disparities.

Equally important, CHWs build individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support, and advocacy. 

CHWs with Healthy Neighborhoods Use ABCD program
Courtesy of Healthy Neighborhoods, City of San Antonio’s Metropolitan Health District

Sulema Mendoza
Community Connector and Spoken Word Poet

Sulema Mendoza works in the Denver Heights community in San Antonio. Here is her story:

I’m a proud Community Health Worker and a Spoken Word Poet known as Simply Poetic. My sister and I grew up in San Antonio with my father, who left my mother behind when I was five. We faced many hardships such as child abuse, neglect, and homelessness. During my teen years, we stayed in shelters and motels, and then ended up in foster care. Despite the circumstances, I found a way to connect with my father through basketball. Later, as a teen, I found music and poetry. As a community connector, I now coach basketball to youth in my neighborhood, and I received the Community Coach of the Year award from the San Antonio Spurs!

Today, I’m a mother of two--son Xavier and daughter Sasha. We’re all given challenges, but we’re also given hope to break cycles, make changes and believe in the greater good. We’re resilient beings nurturing growth!

We Are Community Health Workers

We are in the business of SERVING others EMPOWERING community, children & mothers.

We are the true HUMAN connectors, the HEART, mind and body protectors!

Together will SURVIVE our spirits will THRIVE, living healthy lives and finding peace of mind. Promoting SELF CARE and making the time.

Accepting our roles and finding our PURPOSE. We’re POSITIVE optimistic people on the surface!

We’re individuals with big ideas and COMPASSION, sharing knowledge, experiences and PASSION!

We are positive, supportive, influential and that’s what makes us special!

---SULEMA MENDOZA-SIMPLY POETIC