Hospitals help their communities in a variety of ways, from providing essential healthcare throughout people’s lives, to offering community benefit programs in schools, senior centers, shelters, and more. Many hospitals and health systems also train individuals who want to make a difference by extending the reach of community health.

One such initiative is Cambridge Health Alliance’s Community Health Worker Training and Volunteer Health Advisor Program. CHA’s program trains community health workers to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate community education for underserved and hard-to-reach populations.

According to CHA, “After completing CHA’s Community Health Workers training, people are invited to join CHA’s Volunteer Health Advisor program. VHAs are respected community health workers who have a close understanding of CHA communities. This trusting relationship enables them to serve as a link between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. VHAs help reduce disparities in healthcare and health outcomes in under-served communities.”

This week, CHA celebrated the 27 new community health workers from its Winter 2025 training program.

“We are so proud of their dedication and commitment, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact they will make as they begin their journey as CHWs,” CHA wrote.