Partnership between South Side clinic Friend Health and Malcolm X College grows Chicago’s community health workforce from within
Victoria Bell of Washington Park, a neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side, was navigating a painful divorce and supporting two children on her own when she resolved to build a better future for her family.
“I was focused on finding a path that would help me build a stable and secure future for my family,” Bell says.
Her search led her to the role of a community health worker. She says she felt drawn to it in part because “I’ve always been one, [who] help people out. It was always a part of me. I just didn’t know the term ‘community health worker.’”
While searching the Malcolm X College website for information about its community health worker program, Bell came across scholarship opportunities. She noticed that her doctor’s office, Friend Health, offered one.
“I’ve been a patient at Friend Health since I was born. My mom was a patient, my daughter and my son are patients,” Bell says.
She inquired about the scholarship by email and received a call from the head of Friend Health’s community health worker program.
Bell remembers the woman saying she had a few questions, but Bell quickly realized the questions were actually the application.
Chicago needs community health workers
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects demand for community health workers to grow 11% over the next decade. However, staffing shortages throughout Chicago’s healthcare system continue to limit access to care, particularly in medically underserved communities.
To address the challenge, Friend Health began building a local workforce pipeline to prepare community members like Bell for careers in healthcare.
Through a three-year partnership with Malcolm X College that began in 2022, Friend Health has supported 100 community residents, with 56 completing a specialized community health worker training program.
According to Tracey Robison, chief clinical operations officer at Friend Health, the partnership was made possible through a three-year grant to establish a community health worker program. The program uses Malcolm X College’s existing certification curriculum, which spans two 12-week semesters and includes internship hours that expose students to clinical settings and community resource organizations.
Friend Health also became a federally registered apprenticeship site, allowing graduates to continue into a paid, one-year apprenticeship after earning certification.
“We hired several of the community health workers who completed the program,” Robison says.
The organization also recruits participants directly from the communities it serves. Friend Health placed flyers in its clinics and promoted the program at local libraries, high schools, unemployment centers, and community events. The only educational requirement was a high school diploma or GED.
For Robison, one of the program’s greatest strengths is that many of the community health workers already understand the realities and barriers patients face on the South Side because they’ve lived them.
“They are reflective of the community, and they can better relate to the community,” Robison says. “A lot of our patients look for people who are relatable to their circumstances and look like them.”
That relatability helps build trust while connecting patients with resources, advocacy, and support beyond the clinic walls. The benefits extend beyond patient care, however, creating new career opportunities for the very residents the program serves.
Providing economic opportunities in Chicago
In addition to improving access to care, the program creates economic opportunity by training and employing local residents in healthcare roles.
“And now they can better support themselves and their families,” Robison says.
She believes the model demonstrates how workforce development and healthcare access can strengthen communities simultaneously. “We want to hopefully take this model and link it to economic stability within our communities,” Robison says.
While the experience changed the trajectory of Bell’s life, it required hard work and sacrifice.
“I transitioned into it perfectly, but it was a little rough because, again, I’m a single mom and have two kids,” Bell says. “I was trying to go to school and get them to school, and I was doing it all by myself.”
She recalls missing moments with her children because she was determined to finish the program.
Today, Bell works at a school-based clinic through Friend Health, where she says the work feels deeply personal. She is developing a hygiene initiative for middle school girls, “because they’re getting ready to be little women.”
The experience is deeply rewarding, she says. “It really fills my heart and my soul because I feel like I was meant to be here.”
Bell treasures the connections she makes with teachers, staff, and students.
“When you build up a bond, when they trust you and come to you, I’m able to actually help and give resources. It is an amazing feeling, so fulfilling,” Bell says.
Her children have witnessed her success.
“My daughter and son are so proud,” Bell says. “I have my picture when I graduated, and it’s just the three of us.”
She hopes her story offers hope to others who feel uncertain about their future and are looking for a way to make a difference in their community.
“It’s a very rewarding feeling to be able to give back,” Bell says.
Cathy Cassata specializes in health, mental health, and human behavior. She connects with readers in an insightful and engaging way.
