Johanna's Story: Becoming a Community Health Worker

Johanna Trader is a member of the first class of Community Health Workers trained in Pathways, and is a caregiver for the Korean Women’s Association. She is excited about participating in the program. “This is a really nice fit for me. I’ve had a lot of experience in case management with populations who have a dual diagnosis of chemical dependence and mental health issues. Pathways is a good way to use my skill set and give back,” she says.

Trader is particularly motivated to participate because she benefited from an intervention program as a pregnant teenager. “It’s one thing to support someone, but I’ve been there,” she says. “It changed my life.” The program supported her and her child and encouraged her to establish personal goals. Today, she is a University of Washington graduate in the psychology program. “I attribute my success to the support I received from that program. Dreams really do come true,” she adds.

Elevate Health is using the Pathways Community HUB Model to provide community-based, culturally competent, and person-centered care coordination for vulnerable, traditionally under-served Medicaid populations. This approach promotes care coordination across the continuum of health services, ensuring that those with complex health needs are connected to the interventions and services needed to improve and manage their health.

Elevate Health will assist community partners with their information technology infrastructure and a solid referral framework to assure the success of this pilot. The plan is to expand and scale to include other priority populations once the pilot is a success.