NACHW Team

Hello! My name is Angie (she/her) and I’m a CHW based in Portland, Oregon, where I have worked directly in service to people experiencing house/homelessness for approximately 10 years. Having experienced homelessness as an adolescent, it has been my privilege to work with people who I have shared/similar lived experience with as they work toward their own goals and healing. My CHW journey began in 2010 as a volunteer and later employee at Outside In, a non-profit and Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that serves youth experiencing house/homelessness. Following a less-than-conventional academic journey, in 2017 I completed a Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH) Management & Policy. Throughout the MPH program, I worked full time as a CHW at the Multnomah County Health Department (MCHD) HIV Health Services Center, a Ryan White-funded clinic and FQHC that offers specialty primary care to people living with HIV/AIDS. I’m grateful for the privilege of having had my employer’s support to participate in a capacity-building CHW training and for the opportunity to complete my MPH practicum/internship in collaboration with the Oregon Community Health Workers Association (ORCHWA). This partnership allowed me to investigate and further develop CHW payment models in Oregon, including Medicaid fee-for-service and value-based payment. This evolved into additional payment-related research and my participation in local, state, and national-level advocacy for the CHW profession, workforce and movement. In 2018, I transitioned to a full time position as Policy & Data Manager at ORCHWA, where I focused on amplifying the incredible work of culturally-specific community-based organizations (CBOs) and the CHWs they employ and supported the organization’s strategies related to policy, advocacy, data, and systems integration. As a member of the Oregon Traditional Health Worker Commission, I collaborated with CHWs, non-CHW allies, and additional interested parties to produce recommendations that preserve the integrity of the CHW profession and address barriers to sustainable Medicaid payment for CHW services and positions in Oregon across a range of employment sectors, including clinical settings, schools, local public health departments, and culturally-specific community-based organizations (CBOs). Alongside working for ORCHWA, I volunteered as a CHW with Portland Street Medicine, an emerging 501(c)(3) that coordinates a network of volunteers to offer basic medical care and additional support to people experiencing home/houselessness. I’m so honored to continue my journey with NACHW as the Policy & Advocacy Manager.