Sense of Place lecture Feb. 9

“In the 1980s, a new idea was gaining momentum in the Gorge,” said a press release. “It came in response to a familiar challenge — how do we help people stay healthy? Does it start and stop at the doctor’s office? How might other factors, like housing or even transportation, affect someone’s health? And what role might local leaders play in supporting the health of their community?”

Maria Antonia “Toña” Sanchez was one of the first in the nation to work as a “promotor(a) de salud” — now known as a community health worker.

“By the time Joel Pelayo applied for the job in 1992, the number had grown to 10 in the Gorge,” continued the press release. “Today, we have more than 100 trained community health workers, many of whom are state certified, and who serve people from a variety of different backgrounds. Across the country, others are adopting community health worker models, much like the one developed in the Gorge.”

Sanchez and Pelayo will share some of their experiences from 30 years as Community Health Workers and find out how they use culture, personal connections, and even music to help people thrive.

Sanchez was one of the first in the nation to work as a “promotora de salud”— a role she began almost 30 years ago. She has served as the Women’s Health CHW for One Community Health’s conducting outreach, education, and assisting with screening access for Latinas. Sanchez is an experienced bi-cultural and bilingual trainer and has facilitated the CHW “We Are Health” series, one of Oregon Health Authority’s adopted CHW Curricula used to certify CHWs.

Pelayo has worked to provide community health promotion and outreach to the Latino population for decades. He currently serves as co-chair for the Columbia Gorge Health Council’s Community Advisory Council (part of our local Coordinated Care Organization). Pelayo is a registered counselor in the state of Washington, providing treatment for domestic violence offenders. He currently serves as a Lead Community Health Worker (LCHW) for Nuestra Comunidad Sana/Health Promotion Services for The Next Door.

This presentation will be pre-recorded at the Columbia Center for the Arts and then aired on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m., followed by a live Q&A with the presenters via Zoom. The lecture will be in Spanish with English subtitles and the Q&A will be in English. The Sense of Place presentation is free and open to all. Register in advance at bit.ly/3ufdcqL.