Navigating our health and social service systems can be hard, but community members are resilient, resourceful, and able to thrive with the right support. Community Health Workers (CHWs) play a vital role in improving community health and advancing health equity. They serve as trusted guides who understand the cultures, languages, and lived experiences of the people they work with.  

CHWs help people find their way through systems, overcome barriers, and connect with essential services and resources. They also provide a listening ear and caring support. As champions for their clients, CHWs build relationships and go the extra mile to help individuals and families reach their health and well-being goals.

We recently sat down with Johnny Gonzalez (he/him), a Community Health Worker at El Centro de la Raza, to discuss what it means to be part of the HealthierHere Community Hub and to serve as a trusted guide for communities in King County, WA. Read and watch more below.

What drew you to this work?

Post pandemic, I had to refigure out my career and think about what I was doing. I worked in restaurants for a long time. And I've just always really enjoyed the aspect of connecting with people. And I wanted to find a new way to connect to people.  

This job allows me to still connect with others, but to have much more impact in their lives, actually being able to help them and sometimes leave people in a much better position.

What does it mean to serve as a trusted guide for community members?  

Sadly, one of the many things you hear from these clients is that they're being thrown around. They'll call one organization that told them to call another. No matter what problem a person might have, I just really try to be there for them, try to figure it out.

I think a big thing is just trying to give it your all and not give up.

Oftentimes some of these services I have used myself. So, I am very upfront with that. A lot of times I will talk about how my experience was, what I did, how it helped me.

And it’s amazing to know that for that person that I needed at that time, I can now be that person for this time.  
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Is there a client experience that has stuck with you?

I had an elderly client call in. They were about 62. It was a house of three, and they were all positive with Covid. They were running out of food. They told me they had about a day left of food, but none of them were able to leave the house. They couldn't even visit a food bank. So they were just worried about what they were going to do.  

We were able to speak directly to a food bank, and I had the ability to go to the food bank and they provided them [with] a substantial amount of food that was then left at their door. I was able to do that for them. And afterwards getting a call back from them, they were just so emotional and just so thankful.

They couldn't believe that this happened within a day or two. That was something they didn't have the ability to do before. And if it wasn't for the Community Hub, I wouldn't have been able to do it.  

When you think about a healthy, thriving community, what gives you hope for the future?

Seeing programs like this really gives me hope. Working in the navigation field has been, honestly, really hard the past couple of years.

You often feel that you don't have a lot of support, this has not been the case with HealthierHere.. Any time I might have felt a little bit down. I have so many people who have been there to support me, give me encouraging words, and knowing that this organization is only building and getting stronger,

I hope I can be a part of it for so much longer.  

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How to Connect to the HealthierHere Community Hub

If you or someone you know is a resident of King County and wants help accessing resources or services that support their health and well-being, please use the online intake form or call 1-833-453-0336 to complete an intake with a real person over the phone.  

Hotline Hours: 9am - 5pm weekdays. Hotline is closed on weekends

Please contact communityhub@healthierhere.org  with any questions related to the Community Hub.

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