City of KCMO News Releases | KCMO.gov

For fast launch: July 1, 2022

The Kansas City Health Department is making an attempt a brand new strategy to join with residents, hoping extra folks will take benefit of their essential providers, belief the data that’s offered by material specialists, and attain out to ask questions on well being points that affect their lives.

So far, 53 residents from throughout town have signed as much as share public well being info with neighborhood associations and with the folks they meet all through their day.

They will likely be half of the well being division’s 

Community Wellness Ambassador Program, skilled to present displays or just have conversations with folks about well being division providers and on well being subjects which might be of biggest concern to residents.

“These neighborhood ambassadors give us a direct hyperlink to residents who might by no means suppose to name us or go to us with their questions,” mentioned Dr. Marvia Jones, well being director. “We have many residents who name on us with questions or are available in for vaccinations, start certificates or to report issues of their rental dwelling. But we all know there are such a lot of extra who do not find out about our providers and the way we can assist them. These ambassadors are dedicated to serving their neighborhood and are desperate to share essential well being info.”

The ambassadors are enterprise homeowners, academics, nurses, and different professions who encounter the general public every single day. Many realized throughout COVID how important it’s to remain related to public well being.

“For me, wellness is so essential and having the ability to have info on the market for our neighborhood is so essential as a result of so much of instances, whether or not it’s with COVID and with all the things that goes on, they don’t seem to be knowledgeable,” mentioned GiGi Jones, enterprise proprietor and new Community Wellness Ambassador who attended the coaching.
 
Community Wellness Ambassadors obtain a stipend of $225 monthly for his or her communication efforts.

Wellness ambassadors are unfold out all through town to achieve residents in each council district. The well being division can be recruiting ambassadors that talk Spanish to achieve Kansas City’s Hispanic/Latinx communities.

“We are dedicated to bettering traces of communication with residents whose first language shouldn’t be English,” mentioned Jones. “As Kansas City becomes more diverse, we know the health department needs to be representative and must provide health information for different cultures and languages.”

“I consider that prevention and wellness are two issues that my neighborhood wants.  My neighborhood has turn out to be a lot broader as I work with English-language learners and people who find themselves making an attempt to return to highschool to get their GED,” mentioned Kevin White, scholar advocate for Literacy KC. “When I used to be given the chance to do that program, together with the work I’m doing, it is such a great match, such a optimistic, good match.”

Another wellness ambassador, enterprise proprietor Taryn Kelly, mentioned she desires to empower folks with info.

“I count on everybody on this room to take this ardour and vitality that they’d right here and exit and be that mild for others, beginning of their properties, their neighborhood, their metropolis, their state, and for Kansas City as a complete, as we normally do, to return collectively and work for the better good,” Kelly mentioned.

Media ought to contact Michelle Pekarsky, well being division public info officer, at 816-719-3610 or michelle.pekarsky@kcmo.org.