Pathways Community Hub
Pathways Community Hub: Creating Connections
The Pathways Community Hub seeks to empower individuals in Eastern Oregon by removing social barriers that make it difficult for them to focus on their own health. The program trains and supports Community Health Workers (CHWs) who can connect Community Members with resources such as financial assistance, food access, housing, transportation, medical referrals, smoking cessation, and a wide variety of other programs. CHWs work one-on-one and build long term relationships, helping Community Members address the entire picture of their health.
CHWs are generally hired from the communities they serve, and they provide home visits as well as resource navigation in a medical setting. Care organizations, such as hospitals and clinics, employ CHWs to work in their community. NEON trains, supports, and integrates CHWs into clinical settings, and pays contracted organizations for the outcomes achieved by CHWs and the individuals they serve. NEON also provides a wide variety of continuing education courses throughout the region.
Currently, CHWs working with NEON's Pathways Hub can work with adults 18 or over who are experiencing or are a risk of developing cardiac or diabetic health conditions, or teens and adults who need help with tobacco cessation.
Think You or Someone You Know Would Benefit From Working With a Community Health Worker?
Contact Liberty Avila at (541)910-1929 or via email at lavila@neonoregon.org for a referral or to discuss program eligibility.
Interested in Becoming a Community Health Worker?
NEON recommends attending training through Oregon State University's Community Health Worker Training Program. Course listings can be found at:
https://pace.oregonstate.edu/community-health-worker-training-program
Interested in Partnering with the Hub?
NEON staff members are happy to discuss partnerships with health organizations in Union, Baker, Wallowa, Malheur, and Umatilla counties. There are three different types of partnerships:
Referrals: Referring those that you and your organization serve to the Hub. Organizations with this type of partnership recognize the benefits of the program, and want to help their patients remove social barriers that may be keeping them from optimal health.
Contracted Partners: Contracted Organizations employ Community Health Workers who work with Community Members. NEON, as a neutral third party, pays these organizations for the outcomes of work completed, such as social resource connections and medical referrals. The Hub also provides data collection and evaluation for partners.
Leadership Team Participation: The Leadership team is the governance board of NEON's Pathways Community Hub, which guides the direction of the Hub through policy change and providing strategic input. Each contracted partner and selected community partners are offered a seat on this board.
Want to learn more? Please contact Liberty Avila at (541)910-1929 or via email at lavila@neonoregon.org.