Please see our COVID-19 resource toolkit below to find updated COVID-19 guidance, COVID-19 vaccine and testing information/resources, and more!

Outreach COVID-19 Care Kit

We have been granted funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to expand our work in the community to prevent COVID-19 and poor health outcomes. Our Community Health Workers (CHWs) engage with their fellow community members in the following ways:

Community Events

• We partner with businesses and organizations to engage in public spaces such as grocery stores, bakeries, flea markets, health fairs, food distribution sites, schools, clinics, universities, and more!
• We distribute “Care Kits” which contain updated information on COVID-19, Mpox, Harris County Public Health programs and additional community resources. Our materials are available in English and Spanish.

In-Person and Virtual Presentations

We can provide presentations on any of the following topics in English or Spanish:

• COVID-19
  • Share current information on prevention, vaccines, testing and how to access available resources.
  • Address community concerns around vaccine hesitancy and debunk myths and misinformation.
• Mpox
  • Share what the disease is, how it spreads, who is at risk, prevention measures, and vaccine eligibility.
• Resource Navigation
  • Promote our Connect Team, which is a resource navigation program that provides Harris County residents with application assistance to state and local benefit programs.
• Public Health 101
  • What is Public Health? What does Harris County Public Health do?

Community Canvassing and Phone Calls

• We share crucial public health updates and additional community resources to community members where they live, learn, work, worship, and play, both in-person and over-the-phone.

Bi-Monthly Newsletter

Every other month, we share important public health updates and trends, upcoming opportunities for CHWs, and community resources in our Outreach Team Newsletter: Word on the Street. See our past Newsletters below!

• Newsletter 1 - English or Spanish : Word on the Street: Meet the Outreach team, HCPH Connect Program, Pediatric Vaccines, and the BA.5 COVID-19 Variant
• Newsletter 2 - English or Spanish: Word on the Street: Mpox, Community Resource Lists, and What to do if you test positive for COVID-19 
• Newsletter 3 - English or Spanish: Word on the Street: Bivalent boosters, updated COVID-19 guidances, Vaccine & Testing resources, and Black Maternal Health Initiatives at HCPH

Subscribe to Word on the Street.

CHW Conferences

• HCPH is hosting a Community Health Worker Conference on Saturday, June 3, 2023! Click here to learn more or to register.

Quarterly CHW Workshops

• We host quarterly workshops led by CHWs for CHWs to have a shared learning space and platform to network, share experiences and strategies from various sectors, and gain exposure to new tools and resources for CHWs and the community members they serve.
• Click here for details about our next workshop on April 26^th:

Internship Opportunities

We offer internship and volunteer opportunities to college/university students and CHWs interested in learning about the field of community health, outreach, and education. Our interns gain experience through outreach and engagement in the field, as well as in-office projects to collaboratively build out strategies for the team.

• If you’re interested in an internship or volunteer opportunity with The Outreach Team, please email your resume to Raquel Vela ([email protected]), the Intern Project Lead.

Do you want to spark change in your community and earn an incentive? Interested in learning about Harris County Public Health (HCPH) resources and programs? The HCPH Outreach Team needs your assistance to inform, encourage, and promote positive health behaviors and resources in your community.

The HCPH Community Health Leaders Program was designed to empower people who are resilient, empathetic, and driven to provide up-to-date public health resources to the residents of Harris County. Our program will provide you with the tools and practice needed to establish community trust, promote up-to-date public health information, and connect individuals with local community resources. Community Health Leaders will receive an incentive for their participation and will be encouraged to develop a community project upon completion of the program.

Following the submission of this form, applicants will be contacted for an interview and selection process. Due to the limited cohort class (approximately 30 people), chosen applicants must meet the following Eligibility Requirements: 

Eligibility:

• 18 years or older

• Harris County Resident
• Can commit to in-person workshop + virtual orientation
• Must have a Social Security Number or Tax Identification Number (TIN)

Apply for the next cohort using the link below!

Community Health Leaders

In June of 2022, Harris County Public Health partnered with UTHealth School of Public Health to conduct a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis with local CHW stakeholders to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the present CHW context in Harris County, as well as to identify opportunities and threats that need to be overcome for successful CHW program implementation. This report provides a localized diagnosis of a critical area in public health infrastructure and workforce development amid a historic pandemic, and recommendations for moving forward successfully to build CHW infrastructure and resilience in the region. The analysis was a participatory action analysis which included CHW stakeholders, allies, and partners and their voices are reflected in the report. HCPH will continue to engage with partners to advance the CHW workforce. As a follow up to the report, HCPH and UTHealth partnered to engage local CHW stakeholders to brainstorm ways their organizations could implement the five recommendations that came out of the report. As such, an addendum to the original SWOT analysis report to include the discussion was created.

Please see below for the Executive Summary, Original SWOT Report, and the Addendum:

CHW SWOT Analysis Executive Summary

CHW SWOT Full Report – Original

CHW SWOT Full Report & Addendum