TOPEKA — As a deaf-blind interpreter in Spain, Ton Miras Neira found a need for more health workers focused on empowering and understanding underrepresented communities.
So when Neira came to the United States in 2012, he began a career as a community health worker — frontline public health workers who are either trusted community members or have an unusually close understanding of those they serve. Miras embedded himself within hospitals, working in the emergency room, but he would also spend time with patients in their homes, building a rapport and developing more competent care plans.
Neira, who works as a community health worker project manager at the University of Kansas Medical Center, said this can ensure treatments are successful where they otherwise might fall short.
