Farmington-based Mott Corp. is paying the first year’s salary of a new community health outreach worker at Wheeler who will engage underserved individuals in greater Bristol and New Britain in accessing primary and behavioral healthcare information and services.
The pilot program, meant to promote community health and awareness, is expected to be a model for other Wheeler community outreach efforts throughout its greater Hartford service area, said Wendy DeAngelo, chief business development officer for Plainville-based Wheeler.
“The idea behind the model is to really build on the trust and faith local residents have in their neighbors to connect them with services,” DeAngelo said, praising Mott’s involvement.
Similar programs have proved successful around the country, she said.
The community outreach worker, Bristol resident Lisbeth Barreto, will use a peer-based education model to engage families in culturally and linguistically responsive healthcare services, including those provided at Wheeler’s Health & Wellness Centers in New Britain and Bristol, according to a Wheeler news release. The community health worker model builds on the belief that community members are experts in their own lives and in their own communities, and the model harnesses local expertise, relationships and trust to improve engagement in primary and preventive care, chronic disease management and patient education and advocacy.
Barreto will engage families through local outreach and health education, including visits to homes, churches, workplaces, local markets, community fairs, schools and other neighborhood gatherings, the release said.
Mott’s contributions have extended beyond funding the new position. Many of its employees also have become health ambassadors, volunteering their time to promote health and wellness at local housing authorities, recovery events and community forums on opioids, Wheeler said in its release.
