Providing great care isn’t meant for just a hospital or clinic setting.
Carrie Hawley is an ambulatory nursing supervisor at Sanford Clear Lake Clinic in Clear Lake, South Dakota, and previously served as the community health worker grant program manager. She said by having positions like community health workers on staff, Sanford Health is uniquely positioned to help all patients, no matter their situation.
“Community health workers are in place to assist patients with bridging the gap between health care and community services. When we address the whole patient and the social drivers of health, we remove roadblocks that many patients face, therefore setting them up for better health care outcomes,” she said.
Navigating health care can be tricky
As a nurse herself, she knows that navigating health care can be complicated for patients who don’t have previous health care experience or knowledge.
You add in the logistics of appointments, like transportation, temporary housing, and food, and it can feel overwhelming for patients.
“It’s really hard for a patient to worry about their high blood pressure or uncontrolled diabetes when they aren’t sure when or where their next meal comes from,” Hawley said. “Maybe they’re homeless next week or can’t physically get to appointments to see their provider to follow up on their chronic diseases.
“Despite our best efforts and all our screenings in place, patients can still fall through the cracks. Another example: a patient not taking their medication because they can’t read, or lack reading comprehension, and therefore don’t know how to take their medicine.”
Related: Sanford Health addresses top community health needs
CHWs in action
Amanda Stark and her family live in Mitchell, South Dakota. Her husband works overnights, and she’s a homeschooling mother.
She said she and her family are on a tight budget and worked with Kristi Bitterman, a community health worker in Mitchell, to find help and resources for their situation.
“We didn’t know that there was a program for our gas bill where we got a discount. She’s helped me figure out how to do the food pantry if it was necessary. She got us set up with the library, so now my kids can walk over to the library and do that as part of their schooling,” Stark said.
Bitterman connected Stark’s family with the Mitchell Recreation Center to use for her kids’ physical education requirements. She also connected Stark with the South Dakota State University Extension program, which offers 24/7 access to educational materials and helpful information.
The Starks used the SDSU Extension program for education on nutrition.
“It’s a six-week program all about nutrition. They actually do the cooking there at the SDSU Extension Mitchell Regional Center. They have a kid kitchen there too. They got to learn nutrition education and how to prepare meals and get recipes. It’s a really neat program to take advantage of,” said Bitterman.
Learn more: Community Health Needs Assessment
Stark said she’s never felt judgement whatsoever, and instead felt like Bitterman was only there to help.
And it’s OK to ask for help.
“There’re more resources out there that people might not realize,” Stark said. “Sometimes you need to reach out and ask for help, and you’re not going to face that judgement that you think you’re going to face, especially with people like Kristi. They’re social workers. She’s there to work with the public and help the individual.”
‘As little or as much as a person wants’
Bitterman said it’s gratifying to be able to help people in whatever season of life they’re in.
“Sometimes people are in a rough place when I get the chance to meet them, and they just feel like there’s not much hope, nowhere to turn. Even if I’m able to help them get one resource, even if it’s just a discount on their phone bill, it’s something. It’s a place to start,” she said.
“My job can be as little or as much as a person wants. We’re here to go through and connect people to the resources available as they need them,” she added.
There are nine community health workers at Sanford Health in South Dakota:
- Aberdeen
- Brookings
- Chamberlain
- Mitchell
- Sioux Falls (4 at this location)
- Watertown
There are also community health workers across other Sanford Health communities.
In North Dakota, there are five community health workers for four communities: Fargo, Bismarck, Hillsboro and Mayville. In Minnesota there are three: one in Bemidji and two in Worthington.
To be connected to a community health worker, a patient must get referred through their primary care provider or RN care manager.
Learn more
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Posted In
Aberdeen, Back to School, Bemidji, Bismarck, Brookings, Chamberlain, Children’s, Community, Family Medicine, Fargo, Hillsboro, Mayville, Mitchell, Rural Health, Sioux Falls, Watertown, Women’s, Worthington
