Kensington resident Miguel Mendez with community health workers Chris Rys and Brenda Mosley
Economic and social conditions like stress, employment, housing quality, and access to food have a profound effect on health.
Meeting community health needs in Kensington
Of the 46 zip codes in Philadelphia, Kensington ranks last in health outcomes. Through a screening tool, CHWs gain an understanding of social, economic, and environmental needs that are not being met in the neighborhood. They work closely with our Housing Services, Food Systems, and Cure Violence teams and our partner organizations to connect residents to housing, food, utility, employment, mental health, and other services.
With funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, NKCDC has partnered with Jefferson University to train and hire Community Health Workers to address health needs in Kensington.
The program is designed to provide residents with a range of skills in community and behavioral health, and career growth in health-related fields. Since 2019, the Community Health Worker program has accepted 90 community members. 80 have graduated from our program, and 73 have gone on to secure employment at NKCDC and partner organizations.
“They are angels”
Who are Community Health Workers?
Over the last six years, the Community Health Worker program at NKCDC has trained long standing residents in Kensington to become Pennsylvania State Certified Community Health Workers (CHWs) through a Health Enterprise Zone grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
As a workforce development project, the Community Health Worker program focuses on residents of the neighborhood. Residents enter training with a lived understanding of the experiences that other community members go through, positioning them as trusted partners and community advocates. They go door-to-door connecting residents with critical resources and assisting them as they navigate complex social services and healthcare systems. These relationships build community capacity and engage residents in advocating for themselves and for their community’s health.