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"Our mission as Community Health Representatives is to serve as role models as we reach out and serve people in their homes and communities. We promote a higher quality of life for our clients through a holistic approach to health education and disease prevention. We gain our clients' trust through confidentiality and by accepting their decisions."
The CHR of Community Health Representative program is one of the oldest federal programs to operate in the Cherokee Nation, and has changed as often as the needs of the people have changed. The purpose of the program is to provide outreach community health services. Just as each community's needs are different, so, too, is each tribal CHR program different.
On 1968, the Indian Health Service initiated the CHR program to overcome cultural and communication barriers between tribal people and Indian Health Service providers. The IHS intended the CHR program to be developed by each tribe to suit it's particular need for community outreach. Paraprofessional people were trained to provide early intervention in situations which could, without prevention, reach epidemic proportion. By observing patients and working with public health nurses and others to assess need, the CHR's became a vital link in the Indian health care system.
Today, Cherokee Nation CHR's are based in the tribal health clinics. They provide medically necessary transportation, make home visits, monitor homebound patients, perform health screening at various public events, make referrals, and generally assist the clinic providers in meeting the needs of the community. Translation and interpretation of the Cherokee language is still a very important part of the CHR's role.
The CHR program is part of the Cherokee Nation Health Service's Community Health Services department. CHR's are located at the Sallisaw, Stilwell, Salina, Jay and Nowata clinics. For more information contact the clinic directly.
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