Mobile Health Specialist Latina Howard

What I love most about being a community health worker (CHW) is witnessing those small but powerful moments when a patient starts to feel like themselves again, whether it is relief after finding a needed resource or the confidence to make a follow-up appointment.

I have been with Alameda Health System for eight years, six as a pharmacy technician in the Highland Hospital outpatient pharmacy and the last two as a CHW. In the pharmacy, I often saw patients struggling to pick up prescriptions or manage medications, but I did not always see the bigger picture.

Now, working closer with our community, I understand how housing insecurity, lack of transportation and access to food affect overall health and how I can help address them for my patients.

Through our mobile clinic, I met a patient who avoided dental visits because of severe anxiety. I stayed in touch each month, gently offering support. Eventually, her trust in me gave her the courage to get dental care, knowing I would be there with her. She later shared that she felt both safe and proud of what she’d accomplished.

Moments like that remind me why this work matters, building trust, showing compassion, and bridging the gap between clinical care and everyday life.