Community Health Worker Shows Unwavering Support for Refugee Client

Beech Brook’s Health and Wellness Coordinator, Ms. Powell, a community health worker (CHW) who works with the Better Health Pathways HUB, began working with a pregnant client shortly before the birth of her baby. The client, a refugee and full-time nursing student, needed to secure a car seat and develop a backup plan for childcare in case her mother’s visa to enter the United States wasn’t approved before the baby arrived.

Knowing that the client would be unable to take time off following the birth of her baby, Ms. Powell connected her to Starting Point to identify potential childcare providers for babies under 6 weeks of age. She also offered emotional support to the client, who was extremely stressed about navigating the government agencies involved in helping to secure a visa for her mother.

In parallel, Ms. Powell began working to secure a car seat for her client. Despite running into many barriers, Ms. Powell’s persistence and knowledge of community resources paid off and she located and delivered a car seat to the family to ensure they could safely transport the baby home from the hospital.

Fortunately, the client’s mother was able to secure an emergency visa and travel to the United States days after her new granddaughter was born. Ms. Powell has continued to work with the family to resolve issues arising from language barriers, navigate insurance plans, access food assistance and receive help with utilities. Today, the client is still in nursing school and the family has achieved stability with the unwavering support of Ms. Powell!

Beech Brook’s Health Hub Programming consists of one part-time CHW, Ms. Powell, who works primarily with pregnant and new mothers. Ms. Powell identifies needed resources and programming and educates clients about healthy pregnancies and any other health needs. As Beech Brook’s Health and Wellness Coordinator, Ms. Powell also helps clients in the Family Center access insurance information, teaches smoking cessation and diabetes management classes, and supports the agency’s Wellness Committee in developing and implementing activities for staff.