Success Stories
By: Roxanne R. King a Senior Community Health Worker with Northpoint Health and Wellness Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Kenneth walked into NorthPoint inquiring services after being laid-off from his job. Kenneth was hoping Northpoint could help him in receiving food from their food shelf and to see if they could help him with his job search and finding employment. NorthPoint hooked him up with Roxanne a CHW with Northpoint. When Roxanne met with Kenneth she noticed that he appeared distant, and displayed a lack of faith and hope. Kenneth had sent out numerous resumes and had been on interviews but had not heard back from anyone. Kenneth expressed the fear he had with losing his job and having no money, food and terror of losing his place to live.
Having seen this before Roxanne knew it would be important to encouraged Kenneth to keep faith and to set goals with him. She worked closely with him by giving him the tools and connections he needed to find a job in his field of study as a Surgical Assistant/Autopsy Assistance. Roxanne recommended a job to Kenneth at the NorthPoint Dental clinic and assisted him in applying for it through the workforce center. She connected him with services to meet his immediate needs and made sure he connected with the local workforce center. She followed up with him a week later to make sure he applied for the job and to assist him with any other job applications or needs he might have.
A few weeks later, Roxanne received a call from Kenneth stating that he had an interview with the Dental clinic at NorthPoint and they had offered him a job. Kenneth was so happy and he once again had joy and hope in his voice. A month later, Kenneth became the Sterilization Technician for the NorthPoint Dental Clinic.
This story demonstrates to you the holistic care that CHWs give their clients by linking them to immediate services and helping them to see the needs they must work towards so they can empower them to take control of their lives.