By Jackie Miller

As a community health worker (CHW) at Care Connections Program in Los Angeles County, Walfred Lopez acts as a liaison between patients and medical professionals to help people find resources and overcome challenges related to chronic conditions. He’s part of a growing movement of CHWs who joined together on June 19 for Healthforce Center at UCSF’s event that introduced Walfred to a broader picture of the CHW landscape.

“It’s a complete movement, and there are a lot of people involved. I can see the bigger picture now,” he said.

An independent study by Healthforce Center at UCSF has shown that California’s community paramedicine pilot projects have improved patient well-being and generated savings for insurers and hospitals.

Could California become the healthiest state in the nation by 2022? That is the goal of Let’s Get Healthy California, a public-private initiative started in 2012 with the purpose of advancing the triple-aim, promoting health equity and leveraging innovation through collective impact. The organization hosted a recent innovation conference, which assessed progress to-date and highlighted the work of health care trailblazers throughout the state.