Turnout for the first Minnesota CHW Alliance Day at the Capitol surpassed initial expectations big-time when 70 CHWs, students and stakeholder organization members from across the Twin Cities gathered on a very rainy April 26 in St. Paul.

CHWs and students represented the African-American, American Indian, deaf, Latino, Somali, Southeast Asian, and West African communities. Stakeholder organizations included community clinics, hospitals, mutual assistance associations and other nonprofits, post secondary educational institutions, and voluntary health associations.

Rep. Erin Murphy (D-Fla.), author of Minnesota's 2007 CHW payment legislation, welcomed the group to the Capitol and encouraged CHWs to tell their stories to lawmakers. Following an excellent advocacy training session offered by the American Cancer Society/Midwest Division, State Health Commissioner Ed Ehlinger, MD, addressed the packed room, predicting that someday a community health worker would be heading up the state health department. Teams of CHWs, students and stakeholder organization reps met with legislators in their offices, summoned them from hearings for hallway conversations and left materials about the Alliance for later reading.

"We succeeded in meeting our major goal for this year's event -- building awareness of the CHW role among our state legislators," stated Joan Cleary, Alliance interim director. "And the experience was very empowering for our members. For many, this was their first-time visit as well as their first opportunity to speak to a lawmaker."

You are invited to view the photo album: CHW Alliance D@C.