A holistic view of health isn’t just about the physical shape someone’s in; it’s getting a full look at well-being from the physical and mental to the emotional and financial, as they all affect one another. For instance, if a person can’t afford to pay for a necessary medical service, that is not only causing their medical issue to potentially worsen, but it’s also adding stress, which can affect mental and emotional well-being.
At Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, we understand that a person’s well-being is more than just a clean bill of health from a physician. It’s why we have a team of community health workers available to assist members by providing resources in the community to improve their whole health. To learn more about health plan community health workers, we spoke with one of our own: Cristina Mangini.
What is a community health worker?
A community health worker can assist members on a variety of needs related to social determinants of health. Social determinants of health (SDOH) are conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.
Cristina helps to provide members with resources they need to live a healthier life. For some, that might be assistance by offering guidance on how to apply for financial resources to pay for medical bills. For others, that could be help with securing transportation to and from a doctor’s appointment or providing appropriate resources to access healthy food.
One benefit of a community health worker is their knowledge on available resources within a community, which may not be widely socialized otherwise. Cristina shares that a lot of members may not even realize a resource is available or they don’t have enough information to look into a resource further.
“We’re here to help guide our members and be that bridge to getting a necessary resource or answer.”
Communication is key for a community health worker. Days are spent speaking with members on the phone, whether for the first time or as a follow up to a previous conversation. Members are often referred to Cristina through other departments, including member services, care management, pharmacy or behavioral health. From that point, Cristina connects with the referring colleague to learn what they may need help before reaching out to understand the full picture and provide suggestions.
Support in all areas of health
Cristina recalls a member who was originally referred to her for help with securing transportation to an appointment. After speaking with the member directly, she then learned that he was having some financial concerns and wasn’t hearing back about the rental assistance he applied for. Cristina was able to reach out to the rental assistance agency directly to find out that there were a few documents missing. Together, they were able to get his application processed, which was approved for assistance based on the information provided by the member. She also shared some information on how to access grant funding that the member had applied for and was approved for to help pay for medical bills. While he was waiting for his rental assistance application to be approved and for the grant funding to provide the additional assistance, Cristina connected him with food pantries and other food resources to assist temporarily and allow him to have extra money to cover other expenses. With this support, he was able to focus on his physical health and return to work full time.
In instances like these, Cristina and the team of community health workers at Point32Health, the parent company of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, take a holistic look at a member’s situation, ask questions to learn what the barriers to access are and proactively suggest resources to help.
“We’re here to help understand what their health goals are so we can suggest the right resources within the community to provide them with access to the health care they need.”
Get in touch with a community health worker
If you’re a member that may benefit with speaking to a community health worker, start by contacting members services (888)-333-4742 or by sending a secure email with more information on what you’re looking for support with. And for plan details and other member resources, log in to the member portal.
