BELFAST, ME — MaineHealth Waldo Hospital recently welcomed two new Community Health Workers, Terri Aldus and Dianna Wilson, to their Community Health department. They join a team of CHWs across Knox and Waldo counties dedicated to helping community members bridge gaps in accessing care.
The CHW program is designed to help community members who have historically faced barriers to accessing health care, such as lack of transportation, insurance or housing; discomfort with navigating the medical system; or food insecurity access resources to help overcome these challenges. This assistance is provided at no cost and allows CHWs to work with clients for a period of three months.
Aldus comes to MHWH from Autumn of Life HomeCare/Manzo Corp in Brewer, where she worked as a CNA assisting clients with mobility issues, monitoring vital signs, administering medications, and more. Before that, she spent two years at Homecare of Maine in Farmington and six years at The Residents at Tall Pines in Belfast. She is a graduate of Belfast Area High School and earned her certified nursing assistant certification from Waldo Vocational School in 2004.
Wilson comes to MHWH from MaineHealth Behavioral Health, where she worked as a youth peer support partner for two years, and Commensense Housing, where she worked as a DSP/CRMA for more than four years. She is currently enrolled at Kennebec Valley Community College pursuing a degree in health information.
In their positions, Aldus and Wilson will go out into the community, working with clients throughout Waldo County to connect them with resources to help manage their health and set goals.
“A lot of the challenges we help clients navigate have to do with living in a more rural setting,” said Richard “Dick” Morin, a CHW at MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital who serves clients in Knox County. “The lack of resources compared to urban settings can hold clients back on taking the next steps in their health journey.”
Once a CHW puts in a referral for resources, it’s often accompanied by a waiting period. To help combat this, a CHW’s ability to connect with community members can prove invaluable when a result is needed quickly.
“The personal connections we make with people can potentially help speed up referrals and get our clients an answer they are waiting for or the resources they need,” said Adi Govinda Dasa, another CHW at MHPBH who also serves clients in Knox County.” If our original resource option doesn’t work out, we pivot and brainstorm alternates for our clients. We always try to create a positive outlook and keep a positive mindset through the process for everyone.”
The CHW program is open to patients 18+ who live in Knox or Waldo counties. Patients are referred through providers and community partners, including food pantries and soup kitchens, schools, shelters and Community Action Partnership (CAP) agencies.
For more information, call 207-301-3950 or email chacommunityhealth@mainehealth.org.
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About MaineHealth
MaineHealth is a not-for-profit, integrated health system whose vision is, “Working together so our communities are the healthiest in America,” and is committed to a mission of providing high-quality affordable care, educating tomorrow's caregivers and researching better ways to provide care. MaineHealth includes a Level 1 trauma medical center, eight additional licensed hospitals, comprehensive pediatric care services, an extensive behavioral health care network, diagnostic services as well as home health, hospice and senior care services. With more than 2,000 employed providers and approximately 23,000 care team members, MaineHealth provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. MaineHealth hospitals include MaineHealth Behavioral Health at Spring Harbor in Westbrook, MaineHealth Franklin Hospital in Farmington, MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta, MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland, Biddeford and Sanford, MaineHealth Memorial Hospital in North Conway, N.H., MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital in Rockport, MaineHealth Stephens Hospital in Norway and MaineHealth Waldo Hospital in Belfast. MaineHealth also includes the MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland, MaineHealth Behavioral Health in Westbrook, MaineHealth Home Health and Hospice in Saco, the MaineHealth Institute for Research in Scarborough, the MaineHealth Medical Group and MaineHealth NorDx in Scarborough. MaineHealth affiliates include Maine General Health in Augusta and Waterville and St. Mary's Health System in Lewiston. It is also a significant stakeholder in the MaineHealth Accountable Care Organization in Portland and a joint venture partner in the New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland.