Fortina Hernández is called “the one who knows it all.”
For more than two decades, the community health worker has supported hundreds of families throughout southeast Los Angeles by helping them sign up for food assistance, sharing information about affordable health coverage, and managing medications for their chronic illnesses. She’s guided by the expression “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
But she makes only around $20 an hour from a community health organization and must hold down a second job to make ends meet. “They pay us very little and expect too much,” she said in Spanish. “We build trust. We offer support. We’re the shoulder people rely on, but we don’t get fair wages.”
California looked to professionalize thousands of community health workers such as Hernández to improve the health of immigrant populations, particularly Hispanic residents, who often experience higher rates of chronic diseases, are more likely to be uninsured, and face more cultural and linguistic barriers when trying to access services. Studies show their work may reduce hospitalizations as well as emergency room and urgent care visits.
Read the full article here KFF Health News- California Health Line
Also featured in LAist, Sierra Sun Times
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