At the 12th annual Florida Community Health Worker (CHW) Summit, members of Waymark’s Care Operations team had the opportunity to present an overview of our CHW-led model and join conversations around the critical issues impacting the work CHWs do daily with health plans, providers, community health advocates, and more.

In addition to hosting a panel discussing the unique challenges CHWs face while supporting rising-risk patients, Kiiera Robinson, Jessica Moore and Hannah Douthat were delighted to spend two days learning from their peers and industry leaders about new, innovative ways to support patients and share their stories. Here are just three of the topics they discussed:

A Need for Sustainable Financing

Sustainable funding models were top of mind for CHWs, especially during this pivotal moment for Medicaid on state and federal levels as states begin to resume deliberations on patients’ Medicaid eligibility and federal oversight bodies regulate this unwinding process. Waymark’s team attended several panels and presentations underscoring the importance of consistent and reliable funding to hire and train CHWs and extend essential health services to marginalized communities across Florida. These efforts include working with Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) to ensure sufficient coverage for CHW services.

The Power of Patient Stories

The Waymark team had the opportunity to attend several policy and advocacy presentations, including one with Florida Voices for Health, an organization that provides community members the opportunity to share their story with and describe their healthcare journey to members of the state legislature. Florida Voices for Health also offers CHWs those same opportunities and provides direct resources to them to help further support their patients. Executive Director Scott Darius also elaborated on the not for profit’s mission to advocate for the expansion of Medicaid in the state, which would cover nearly 500,000 Floridians living below the poverty level.

Natural Disaster Preparedness

During a roundtable discussion, CHWs and other healthcare professionals took turns sharing their disaster preparedness expertise. Florida’s hurricane season stretches on for months, and often have a devastating effect on infrastructure, including road and hospital closures that limit patient access to vital medications. Hailing from all over the state, healthcare professionals attending the roundtable shared ways to help patients prepare for natural disasters, including having CHWs teach patients to store insulin and other refrigerated medications in case of a power outage—an especially invaluable resource for those serving patients in coastal areas of Florida.

Thank you to the Florida CHW Summit for putting on an educational, enriching event. If you’re an MCO, provider, or community organization interested in learning more about Waymark’s CHW-led model, reach out to us here.