An Effective Leader

Posted: June 10, 2014

By Community Health Promoter Aisha Dahir

 

Leaders are born not made! One of the best parts of being a health promoter is the opportunity to work with community members who are optimistic about their health and the well-being of their community.

 

Sadiyo came to our health fair in November 2012 and learned that she had cholesterol problems. She signed up quickly for my nutrition class and was eager to learn ways to be healthy and help her family. She was one of the first to help me organize the Wednesday exercise class at the Tukwila Community Center. After participating in the initial training for the Wednesday class, Sadiyo learned the routines so well that she now the class. She is recognized by other participants as a leader and a capable one. She has gained their trust and is well respected. She supports them in her capacity including bringing participants to the exercise program who lack transportation. She has seen great benefit from being involved with Global to Local. She has shared with me that she feels better health wise and has lost weight by participating in activities. She now cooks healthy food for her family and shops smarter by reading labels.

Sadiyo is a reliable leader who I trust very much. She has a positive outlook and whenever we have events, I rely on her outreach and connections. She is a regular at the Saturday Female Only Gym and out of her way supports the women who want to go in any way possible. I'm honored to work with such a great community leader and I look forward to continue our work in the community. It is people like Sadiyo that create the bridges needed for this kind of work. A community initiative for better health results.

 

 

 

Teach A Woman, Teach A Village

Posted: June 10, 2014

By Samantha Kunze-Garcia, Latino Community Health Promoter

 

On January 15, I started a nutrition class in SeaTac. The first day, we had 18 Latino women from different countries of origin and who reside in different cities in South King County. At the beginning of the class series, we started with a pre-assessment survey where I was able to learn about their current nutritional habits so that I could cater my class to fit their needs. The results were a melting pot of participants from those who never ate vegetables or fruits, never drank water, to others that were already eating vegetables regularly. Once the class started and I got to know them a little better, I quickly learned that each one of them was committed to making their lives healthier -- that one commitment is huge! Their minds were ready and open for information, so the next step was “to take action”.

 

Aside from the nutritional content of the class, participants set goals for themselves to start making changes for healthier living. One participant, Dalia set a very simple goal:  Eat vegetables. When I asked her to define her goal a bit more in terms of quantity, but she replied that eating vegetables was not something that she or her family did, therefore she decided to begin by starting to buy some vegetables at the store. At first she received some resistance from her kids and husband, but she was perseverant. After a few weeks, eating vegetables became a part of her family's daily habits. She started to feel better, lighter, and even lost a 5 pounds. To build on this achievement, she decided to take it to the next level and start exercising. She joined the Y and in the past few weeks, she started attending our exercise classes and walking/jogging group. During this walking group, she is being trained by a community leader to get ready for her first 5K run in Tukwila. Not only, did she enroll in the 5K but her husband and two children decided to join her.

 

Her story is only one of the many success stories of our Global to Local nutrition class.  There is that saying “teach a woman, teach a village”. These women are a great example of that. Not only are they benefiting from the class, but their families as well. One participant's husband has lost 14 pounds since his wife started buying and preparing more vegetables for the family. These small changes are helping these women shape their lives in invaluable ways, they are creating a healthy family, and therefore, a healthy community.

 

 

 

An Active Lifestyle

Posted: June 10, 2014

By Linda Po – Burmese Community Health Promoter

 

I met Say Ba and his family last summer when they first resettled in the Tukwila area. Say Ba is a 75 year old man, who has high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He first started participating in Global to Local programs by attending the cooking demo class. At that time, I noticed that he ate everything except the vegetables, so I asked him why and he answered that he had no teeth and the vegetables were hard for him to chew. I told him about the importance of vegetables and the different ways one can prepare or cook them.

 

I also invited him to some of my Global to Local activities like Zumba class and exercise group. Since then, he has begun to change some of his behaviors such as eating healthier food, drinking more water, and increasing his physical activities. He said he started to feel much better after changing to a healthier life style. 

 

His ultimate goal is to live without having to take medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. But his short term goals are to exercise for at least three times a week for 30 minutes and drink more water. He is currently meeting his short term goals so far because he goes to Zumba class and exercise group regularly and he also walks almost every day for 30 minutes. I hope one day when he goes to his doctor, the doctor will tell him that he no longer needs his medication. 

 

Working as a Community Health Promoter, I meet and help many elderly people. I have noticed that Say Ba is different than the others. He looks younger, happier, and healthier because he chooses to stick to an active lifestyle. His story makes me want to educate more people in my community to take charge of their health and I hope that they will also inspire their family members and neighbors to be healthy.

 

 

Encouraging Occasion

Posted: March 5, 2014

By Zeineb Mohammed – Community Health Promoter 

 

 It was on March 2013 when I went to UW Medical Center that I met three people while I was waiting for the doctor. There were two gentlemen and a pregnant woman. I introduced myself but before we were done with our conversation, unfortunately, the nurse called the woman and all of them left. Eleven months later we met again at a birthday party with her cute ten month old baby girl. I told her, “I remember you- we met for the first time several months ago” and she said she did not remember meeting me at the hospital, but that she knew me from the Global to Local Tigrinya language nutrition video.

 

The surprising thing is that she is one of my video participants. Without my knowledge, she got the DVD from her friend.  I asked her, “Has the video helped you?” She told me, “Yes, very helpful, thank you. Before the video I never ate greens. I used a lot of butter, meat, white flour, unhealthy stuff. But since the video, I have lost 30 lbs.  I started to eat greens, whole grains, less sugar, chicken, I rarely eat red meat and I also stopped using butter and started substituting it with flax. The reason for all this progress is your nutritional education video. I want to come to your office to learn more about Global to Local activities.”

 

I was so glad for her, glad to see such a huge difference in her since the first time I met her. I encouraged her to keep following the video and hope to see her at one of our activities. 

 

 

 

Living a Healthy Lifestyle

Posted: February 25, 2014

By Linda Po – Community Health Promoter

 

After working as a Community Health Promoter for a while, I realize that many people in my community pay little attention to their health especially younger people. When they resettle in a new country, they want to try their best to adapt to a new culture and lifestyle. However, they forget one important fact that some lifestyles in America are not healthy. Their physical activities significantly decreased compare to when they lived in their own country. They start eating pizza, hamburger and drinking sugary sodas. Many of them also think that going to work is sufficient enough to fulfill a daily physical activity requirement. 

 

Ke, a twenty five year-old woman who works in a clinic in Tukwila is an excellent example of a person who has adopted the “American” lifestyle. She works from 9 to 6, mostly sitting in front of a computer. To wind down after a day at work, she would often find herself sitting in front of TV and eating unhealthy food. She didn’t think she was unhealthy because she was still young and not over weight. However, she noticed that her waistline was expanding and she was getting constant headaches. When I learned about her problems, I started to teach her basic nutrition lessons and suggested she drink more water. I also invited her to some of my Global to Local activities. Since then, she has begun to change some of her behaviors such as eating healthier food, drinking more water, and increasing her physical activities. She has participated in swimming classes, exercise groups, and the Zumba class. She still comes to Zumba class every Monday and on other days she would watch Zumba class from YouTube and dance in front of her computer.

 

After changing to a healthier lifestyle, she started to notice that her headaches disappeared. She has also been able to maintain her normal weight. This story shows the importance of educating people to take more responsibility for their health. By making some changes to our lifestyles, we can be healthier and prevent diseases and sickness that may occur in the future.

 

 

 

No Prescription? Don’t Take Your Husband’s Medication

Posted: May 21, 2013

By Linda Po – Community Health Promoter

 

The sharing and borrowing of medications both over the counter drugs and prescription drugs among friends and family is common in the Burmese Community. Coming from a place where people are not required to have prescriptions from the doctors to buy medication, they are unaware of the danger of sharing medications. Other factors such as the lack of health insurance and language barriers also play a role in preventing people from going to see the doctor. As a Community Health Promoter, I organized a workshop to address the dangers of sharing medications among friends and family.

 

This story is about one of the participants in the workshop. The story she shared with the group talked about how she took her husband’s medication because they had the same health problems and she was afraid to go see a doctor. Other reasons why she did not want to see the doctor was because she had no health insurance and had previous medical bills to pay off.  

 

At the workshop, she learned about the dangers of sharing medications from a Health Point Community Health Nurse. Afterwards, she knew that she should not take someone else’s medication even if they might have the same health problems because everyone is different. Medications prescribed for one person can cause negative side effects and allergic reactions on another. She also learned that she could negotiate with health care providers about her medical bills.

 

After the workshop, I encouraged her to change some of her behavior. She started by no longer taking her husband’s medication. Then, she went to see the doctor to talk about her health issues. She now takes her own prescription medication and even though she still does not have health insurance, she is not afraid to go to the doctor anymore.

 

This story shows that health education is very important for the community because it can teach people to become aware of some of their negative and dangerous behaviors which can contribute to many health problems. I am hopeful that through this education, my community is one step closer toward improving their health.

 

 

 

Health Screening Success Stories

Posted: May 21, 2013

 

GLOBAL TO LOCAL & BARTELL DRUGS EVENT, APRIL 27, 2013

 

Global to Local would like to thank Bartell Drugs, all of our community partners and sponsors, and our volunteers for supporting our health screening and fair on April 27.  Over 200 people received over 900 different screenings and were referred to a wide range of services such as diabetes prevention programs, nutrition classes, and culturally tailored physical activity programs.  Following are some stories from the day that highlight the benefit to the community, as well as the great contribution from community volunteers. 

 

Stories from the Somali Community

 

1. Muse came last screening (Nov. 2012) and was told that his cholesterol was high. Since the screening, he started exercising and lost weight. After being screened last week, his numbers have shown a significant improvement.

2. Sahra was one of the volunteers. She arrived at the screening an hour before her call time and helped with the set up. Her positive attitude was obvious at the registration table. She has consistently helped in all the events we are doing and wishes to continue to support Global to Local in its efforts

3. Four Somali community leaders assisted the Somali Community Health Promoter with screening outreach by visiting Somali stores, businesses and community centers.  They distributed over 200 flyers.

4. As a result of events like the health screening and nutrition/exercise classes, we are seeing a larger group of new emerging volunteers from the Somali community.

 

Stories from the Eritrean Community

 

1. First person his name is Habtemaria, previous had a total  cholesterol level of 215, after Spring screening he is down to 118

2. Second person,  Solomon had  a total cholesterol level of above 200,   LDL  above 100 after Spring screening his total cholesterol is 108  and  LDL 78

 

Stories from the Latino Community

 

Health Screenning Quote from Veronica – Community Health Promoter Latino

 

“The Health Screenning was to me living proof of building community. Despite the weather,  all the volunteers who were mostly people who had participated in our classes showed up on time, many of them brought their children and their family with them and they were there most of the day. It was empowering to see the passion they have for the organization and how they share our mission”. 

1. Between ten and fifteen Latino volunteers not only helped in the event but also in spreading the word by delivering flyers in their neighborhoods

2. One participant and emerging leader, Miriam went above and beyond by calling over 100 participants from the fall health screening and inviting them to the event

 

Stories from the Burmese Community

1. Makyet came to the Health Screening last fall and her total cholesterol level was over 200. At the screening, she was told to go see the doctor but she didn’t go. However, she changed her lifestyle by eating healthier and increased her physical activity.  After attending the Spring health screening, her total cholesterol decreased to lower than 200 and she was told that everything is fine with her

2. Dah thought that her right ear might have some problem because she cannot hear very well, but never went to the doctor to confirm it. She came to the health screening when she heard that there will be hearing test also. After she was tested, she learned that her right ear has a problem and she needs to see the doctor.

3. Gay agreed to volunteer at the screening because she wanted to help people in her community. She was assigned to work at the intake table. When the registration closed at one o’clock and other volunteers started to leave, she stayed around to help with the interpretation at the screening until three o’clock.

 

 

 

 

Empowerment

Posted: April 11, 2013

By Aisha Dahir

Somali Health Promoter 

 

When I started with G2L, I knew I have some grounds to cover with my community. I knew the challenges and barriers that needed addressing.  I also was aware of difficulties that my community faces in navigating the system and shared helplessness in the community. But I also knew how resilience the Somali community is and how resourceful they are to each other. I wanted to focus on what we could do, rather than what we cannot.  I had a mission to empower women to take charge of their health and I believe that they’ll inspire their family members to be healthy and the community at large.

 

I met Luul who has three children and lives in Tukwila. Luul is otherwise healthy but doesn’t do any physical activity. Since the start of my Friday program at the Mosque, Luul has been consistently coming and is a regular contributor in organizing the event. She has developed goals to stay active and lose weight. Since November, Luul has been doing exercise at home every day for 1 hour. And now, she is a regular at the all women gym at Tukwila Community Center. She has seen positive change in her life and told me that she now has more energy and fewer headaches. She inspired her family and now cooks balanced food. She shared with me that before we started the program, she used to nap during the day and instead, she does exercises at home now. She is doing portion control and has stopped eating late dinners.  She is been weighting herself and slow but surely is losing weight.  It made me happy, when Luul called me the other day to tell me that she went to her doctor and found out that she lost three pounds in two weeks. She said to me “thank you, you have inspired me and there is no going back now.”

 

Stories like Luul’s are the inspirations for health workers like me. It makes us happy and more importantly reinforces the need for this kind of work in the communities we serve.  Empowerment from within is what this work is all about. It’s my life long goal and passion to help educate my community; especially women who I believe have the power to transform generations to come.

 

 

 

Lowering Blood Pressure

Posted: April 11, 2013

By Veronica Abraham

 

Latino Health Promoter 

 

Rosa Velazquez from Des-Moines, Washington started coming to Global to Local’s Health Education Classes in January of 2013.  On the second class when we discussed goals and the importance of physical activity, I was surprised by the goal she chose. The goal was not to miss any of the nutrition classes or the walking groups.

 

Rosa is a very thin lady and I would never have guessed that she would have had high blood pressure. But after taking her blood pressure during one of the classes, her reading was 151/74. Rosa shared with me that her mom had the same problem in Mexico as well as high cholesterol and that is why she decided to take control of her health by participating in our programs.  After a couple of weeks, I re-took her blood pressure and it had reduced to 120/74. Rosa has not missed even one class or a single walking group and has also recruited other participants.

 

She is a true role model to me and to the rest of the group.

 

 

 

Living with diabetes Without Knowing it

Posted: January 4, 2013

By Linda Po

 

Burmese Community Health Promoter 

 

I met San Se Poe four years ago when he first came to the United States. He is a 59 year-old Karen man who never had got a job when he arrived here because of his age, his health and his limited language skill.  His benefits from the DSHS ran out after eight months which is the limit for a refugee.  He is still getting food stamps for $200 a month, but he is not qualified for the cash assistance or Medicaid because he does not meet the requirements of DSHS guidelines. He is staying with a friend who does not ask for rent or any fees. He makes  little money by babysitting for friends and neighbors. San Se would be homeless, if it is not the generosity of that friend.

 

About three months ago, San Se Poe fainted, fell and hit his head while walking on the sidewalk. His head started bleeding and he was unconscious for a minute. Luckily, somebody was there, called 911 and later took him to the ER. The doctor checked his blood glucose and it was 360.The doctor told him that the reason he fainted was because he has diabetes.  He had to stay in the hospital for two days.  I took the opportunity to tell him about my work at Global to Local and invited him to the diabetes class. He was worried about his medical bills and his future health, but was eager to learn about diabetes and how to live with it. He attended the class every session and started to change his diet by eating less white rice and sweets. He also increases his physical activities by walking 30 minutes a day, three to four times a week. By changing his diet, increasing his physical activities, and taking the medications his blood sugar level is now about 150 compare to 360 when he first diagnosed. He is also appreciated that I helped him dealing with the medical bills by applying for charity program, which in some cases he did not have to pay the bill at all. 

 

A story like this makes me realize the importance of free health screening and health education classes. Many people like San Se Poe who do not have health insurance do not go to the doctors to check up their health. There are lots of people who may be living with chronic diseases and never know about it. If San Se Poe had known that he has diabetes, he would have taken some actions about it and saved himself the trip to ER and enormous medical bills. I always believe that prevention is better than cure.  Bringing health education classes into a community can be good refresher knowledge for people who have had diseases for years, and can be an eye-opening relief for the newly diagnosed like San Se Poe.

 

 

 

 

Sahar

Posted: June 1, 2012

 

Sahar, a young Somali woman, arrived in the United States with her mobility-impaired mother. As a result of seeing the war-wounded arrive at local hospitals in Somalia, she has always dreamed of becoming a nurse. Upon her arrival in the U.S., Sahar cared for her mother and worked two jobs in order to support herself and her mother, and to send remittances to family in Africa. Her mothers’ health got worse and she didn’t know anywhere to get help. So Sahar went from hospital to hospital with her mother not really understanding all the medical terms doctors were throwing at her.  So, about a year after she arrived in the U.S. she decided to go to her local college to pursue a nursing degree. Upon submitting her application, Sahar was erroneously notified by the college that as a refugee she was ineligible to enroll in the program. She worked with college administrators to get her application put back in the applicant pool. Sahar was one of only a handful of people accepted into the program out of a total of over 200 applicants. And, she received a scholarship which covered full tuition, books and supplies, and included some money to cover her living expenses! Sahar graduated from her Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) program as valedictorian of her class and three months later passed the boards on her first try and received her LPN license.

 

I met Sahar on April 5th at an event at University of Washington that I attended. She told me she was a nurse and I proceed to tell her about the work I do with Global to Local. She told me the work of Community Health Promoters is very important and much needed in the Somali community. Sahar said to me “had she known there were programs like Global to Local when she first arrived in U.S. life would have been easier for her.”

 

-Asma Bulale, G2L Community Health Promoter

 

 

 

 

A Story of Diabetes from my Community

Posted: June 1, 2012

 

My encounter today with a woman whom I met at a friend’s house was particularly special. While introducing myself, I mentioned to her that I am working for Global to Local as a Health Promoter, focusing specifically on Diabetes education. When she heard this, her face reflected happiness and a readiness to share her own experience regarding this issue. I was grateful for her honesty and for her willingness to share her story.

 

According to her, when her doctor told her that she was on the verge of becoming diabetic, she just felt confused and didn’t understand what he meant.

 

While traveling with friends to San Francisco, California, she felt sick. She thought the problem was due to the long, uninterrupted bus trip. She recollected how her illness got worse and worse. She felt extremely dizzy, her body was lethargic, and when she pinched herself, she felt nothing. When they reached San Francisco, she was unconscious. Her friends took her to the nearest hospital where she found out that her blood sugar was at an extreme level.

 

She used to feel guilty for not doing what was expected of her when she was forewarned about the possibility of contracting diabetes. Now she is 52 years old and eager to learn more about diabetes and to share her experience with others.

This story shows how many people are becoming victims of diabetes because of their inaction when the disease was avoidable. Therefore, intensive, ongoing coaching programs need to be offered to help people recognize the changes they need to make in their life and to support them in making those changes.

 

--Zeineb Mohammed, April 2012

 

 

 

 

Navigating a Complex System

Posted: April 16, 2012

 

Faduma (not her real name), a 54-year-old Somali woman, spent her days on the couch in her apartment. Parkinson’s disease made it difficult for her to walk or speak and caused her to shake constantly. She had no health insurance, no transportation, and no money for groceries.

 

Faduma’s relatives did what they could for her, but their resources were limited and they struggled with the complexities of the health care system. They frequently resorted to bringing her to urgent care because she was in pain.

I met Faduma while reaching out to the residents at an apartment complex in Tukwila. After dozens of phone calls to social workers, Aging and Disability Services, and other entities, I discovered that an open case in a different state had been blocking Faduma’s ability to receive assistance in Washington.

 

I cleared up the confusion. Faduma now has assistance for food and has seen a doctor to get back on medication for Parkinson’s. She has an application under review to receive care in her home. I applaud Faduma’s family for their support: “They did a lot of fighting.” But energy only goes so far in navigating the rules and regulations of a complex public health system.

 

--Asma Bulale, G2L Community Health Promoter, March 2012

 

 

 

 

Everyone Has a Story

Posted: April 16, 2012

 

This story is about a 55-year-old lady that I met at the SeaTac HealthPoint Clinic, while observing a Diabetes patient Consult with Zeineb one of the other Community Health Promoters (CHPs). When we first arrived, the nurse briefed us on the patient. She told us that patient was homeless for a long time. She was diabetic and refused to take her medications because of her cultural beliefs. So I went into the appointment with the mindset that this patient was going to be hard to deal with. That could not have been further from the truth.

 

The woman was pleasant, easy- going, and very easy to relate to. We sat down and the nurse started telling her that her diabetes was out of control and if she did not change her life style and start taking her medication her health would deteriorate. The patient then turned to Zeineb and me and said, “They think I don’t want to take my medication but that is not true. I don’t understand how they expect me to take my medication when I don’t even have a place to sleep. I don’t even have a refrigerator to keep my medication in.” My heart dropped and I was speechless.  I realized that here we were, assuming that she was being stubborn due to her beliefs and we were missing the whole point. She understood very well that health/ being healthy was important but in order to be healthy she would have to overcome a lot of obstacles to be able to achieve good health.

In my five months of working with Global to Local I have learned to listen because everyone has a story. I believe as healthcare workers (Doctors, Nurses, CHP, etc.) we have to understand patients’/communities’ situations and provide the care and/ or information they need.

 

-Asma Bulale, G2L Community Health Promoter

 

 

 

Juan

Posted: April 16, 2012

 

This story is really important to me because this situation changed my way of thinking about men’s interest on the subject of nutrition. Juan (not his real name) was one of my first contacts in the community. I met him at the Tukwila Food Bank, where we were inviting people to a diabetes screening.

 

Although he was young, about 25 years old, Juan’s cholesterol level was high. He asked me about somewhere he could learn about the best way to eat. I mentioned our nutrition classes that would be taking place in the near future. After that, every two weeks Juan would ask about the nutrition classes.

 

In January I was very happy because I finally started teaching health classes. Juan was present in one of my nutrition classes. I was delighted because this young man was really interested in his high cholesterol levels and the information I shared helped him to develop a healthy eating style!

 

I also taught a class on the topic of nutrition for the Bow Lake Elementary School Latino Parents Group. I was surprised at the interest that the parents and their kids (ages:6-12) showed. The children asked challenging questions and the parents wanted to know more and more, so we ended up needing to schedule another class to provide them with the information they wanted about carbohydrates, proteins, calories, fat, etc.

 

So this is only the beginning and I hope I can do more for the Sea-Tac and Tukwila Latino Communities! I love it!

 

-Sandra Maqueda, Global to Local Health Promoter

 

 

 

 

Where is the best place to teach a class on Diabetes Prevention?

Posted: April 16, 2012

 

One of the participants from my first Diabetes class phoned to invite me to a birthday party at his home. He wanted me, in addition, to teach his guests about diabetes prevention and care. I hesitantly agreed to do it, although I was afraid that the guests would not want to sit around listening to diabetes facts when they were expecting to party! The host assured me that this was an ideal venue and that everybody would be happy.

 

I arrived at the party and people gradually began to show up. After a fabulous meal, the guests gathered around while I explained what I was going to do. They were already prepared, and the host even arranged for a woman to take care of the children in another room. I taught for about 45 minutes. It was a great class, with 14 adults, 2 teens and lots of interest and questions. In fact, they told me, “Whenever we are planning an event, we will call you!” Once the class ended, the party continued with undiminished enthusiasm.

So, where is the best place to teach a class on Diabetes Prevention? Anywhere there are people—even at a party!

 

-Zeineb Mohammed, G2L Community Health Promoter