In this Community Health Roundtable discussion, Kandis Draw, a community health worker (CHW) with JourneyCare in Chicago, shares her experiences educating communities about supporting patients through palliative and hospice care. Through her conversation with Dr. Dan Palazuelos, a physician educator hosting the podcast, Kandis describes some of the key lessons she has learned and shares her perspectives on the future of CHWs in the United States and the value of CHWs as bridges between healthcare and community.
The discussion covers a variety of important topics surrounding the role of community health workers including:
- The role and experiences of CHWs in palliative and hospice care
- Core lessons working as a CHW
- The future of CHWs in the United States
- The value of CHWs as a bridge between healthcare and the community
Kandis Draw: Kandis Draw lives in Chicago, Illinois, and is a community health worker for JourneyCare, the largest nonprofit hospice and palliative care provider in the state. Kandis works with the African American community addressing end-of-life care, grief and loss, cancer disparities in communities of color, and education on the Five Wishes Advanced Directive. She is also a contributor for Caregiving.com and a national Illinois advocate for the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance. Kandis was recently nominated for a 2021 Caregiving Visionary Award through Caregiving.com, which honors family caregivers and former caregivers as beacons of hope.
Dan Palazuelos: Dr. Dan Palazuelos is a physician educator who works in the US healthcare system, but also spends a large part of his time working with community health implementation programs serving vulnerable populations in over 10 countries. All this work gives him the opportunity to meet incredible community health warriors, and this podcast is the place where these conversations can be shared with anyone who might benefit from hearing them. Enjoy, and let us know what you think below!