Community Health Workers Bridge the Gap in Rural Health Care

From left to right, nurse Vicky Schantz, community health worker Kylee Schmiesing and social worker Anna Anderson. (Photo courtesy of UND Center for Rural Health via UND Today)

(By Jessica Rosencrans) – Many health care positions are tried and true. Dentists, nurses, and surgeons are just a few examples of positions that need little explanation. However, a new health care position has surfaced in recent years, one that often flies under the radar: the community health worker.

A community health worker, also known as a community health representative within Tribal communities, is a front-line public health staffer who helps connect people with community resources.

However, what a community health worker’s responsibilities might look like often vary widely between communities and organizations.

Kylee Schmiesing is a community health worker at Coal Country Community Health Center (CCCHC) in Beulah, N.D., a position she has held since October 2023. Schmiesing is not only the sole community health worker at CCCHC, she’s also the first person to ever hold the role at the organization. She works as part of the Medicare Chronic Care Management program, assisting residents who use CCCHC in Beulah, Hazen, Center, and Killdeer with conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease.