Through a generous grant via the United Health Foundation and in cooperation with KC Care Clinic, CHC of Wyandotte County’s Community Health Worker initiative seeks to improve health across Wyandotte County. From time to time, we want to showcase some of the success stories from our health workers:

“I met the patient at Duchesne Clinic. She had not been to a PCP (Primary Care Provider) since losing her insurance several years before. The provider referred the patient to me to accompany her through the Early Detection Works process. The patient is a breast cancer survivor, but came to clinic with lymphedema and had not received a mammogram in just as many years. The patient was told she had no issues as far as cancer or tumors, but she wanted to focus on physical therapy for lymphedema as well as a sleeve to treat it.

The sleeves normally cost upwards of $400. My patient has been working less due to pain from lymphedema. Because of this, she also wanted to apply for Social Security Disability, which she has been denied twice before. I worked with the patient and applied for SSDI, and have been getting documents together since then. Since establishing primary care at Duchesne Clinic and starting to work with me, the patient has been referred to physical therapy for her arm, which patient did not think possible due to lack of insurance. I also helped her get the sleeve through the Medicine Cabinet at El Centro. Patient is now going to several specialists which will help her case for SSDI.”

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Zamira Faire Salas is a community health worker who serves Wyandotte County’s English and Spanish speaking communities.