Josiah Richards accepted a new position at The Arc of Opportunity, Adult Family Care (AFC) Community Health Worker (CHW). Josiah has been with The Arc for four years. First hired as an Operations Assistant, he transitioned to a Case Manager and now Josiah accepted the newest role at The Arc as CHW.
There are many different kinds of CHWs and many different kinds of definitions. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health defines CHW as “…public health workers who apply their unique understanding of the experience, language and/or culture of the populations they serve in order to carry out one or more of [many] roles.” These roles include:
Providing culturally appropriate health education, information, and outreach in community-based settingsBridging/culturally mediating between individuals, communities and health and human servicesAssuring that people access the services they needProviding direct services, such as informal counseling, social support, care coordination and health screeningsAdvocating for individual and community needs
New AFC regulations as of May 2017 include a CHW, “a public health worker qualified in accordance with [regulations] who applies their unique understanding of the experience, language, or culture of the populations they serve in order to carry out their responsibilities in AFC-qualified settings.”
Josiah brings his unique experience as a program coordinator at a senior center in Newton, MA, an HIV/AIDS prevention counselor in Nashua, NH, his experience as a men’s domestic violence advocate in Cambridge, MA. He also has Bachelor degree in Social Work which he hopes will aid in his new role.
Josiah also demonstrates a unique connection with the local community. Both living and working in Fitchburg, Josiah has been able to familiarize himself with various agencies and community groups which provides him opportunities for collaboration with stakeholders and community leaders. He served on Fitchburg’s Commission of Energy & Environment, volunteered as transportation advocate, and he currently serves on the board of United Neighbors of Fitchburg.
Josiah has begun meeting AFC families and has begun to research and explore areas of support. An area has done Internet research into is local hiking trails for AFC members and their families who are looking to exercise more. Josiah is also expanding his knowledge of Spanish and hopes to use that skill to help Spanish-speaking families to know that language is not a barrier to services.
To learn more about the new position or to contact Josiah, he can be reached at j.richards@arcofopportunity.org or 978-343-6662 ext. 1055, or visit www.machw.org.