Certified Community Health Workers
Since 1988, One Community Health has been recognized nationally for its innovative health promotion programs lead by our “Community Health Workers” (CHWs), who are certified community leaders. Both bilingual and bicultural, they are trained under the supervision of a nurse manager to help individual patients, families, and communities get the health education and care they need. They advocate for patients in a variety of ways and are an integral part of education and outreach programs at One Community Health.
Meet Our Certified Community Health Workers:
Enabling Services Manager
Joined One Community Health in 2012
Esther Mondragon serves as the enabling services manager for our perinatal program and also works as a team nurse. Esther completed nursing school at Portland Community College in 2010. She was born in Mexico City but grew up in The Dalles, where she still lives today. Esther has been drawn to working at One Community health because she is passionate about community health, supporting our diverse patient population, and, of course, practicing perinatal care and delivering high-quality, personable services and solutions. In her free time, Esther spends time with her family and dog. She also loves to run and uses that as a way to decompress and sustain her own health and wellness.
Certified Community Health Worker - Case Manager
Joined One Community Health in 1991
Vicky Valle has worked for One Community Health's Perinatal program since 1991 as both a certified Community Health Worker and a Perinatal case manager. She enjoys providing prenatal and postpartum education to pregnant and postpartum women and their families, both one-on-one and in group settings. She helps to ensure that women get adequate prenatal care, which reduces complications in the pregnancy, and Vicky has seen first-hand our excellent results in pregnancy outcomes and breastfeeding. She is widely known and respected in our community for her years of service helping families adjust to the arrival of a new baby. She has been an amazing asset to our team!
Certified Community Health Worker - Case Manager
Joined One Community Health 2005
Delfina Reyes has worked for One Community Health’s perinatal program since 2005. She provides education and support to pregnant women and women who have recently had a baby. She enjoys working with pregnant women and helping them get the care and services they need, everything from prenatal education to dental exams and even our behavioral health services. Delfina has witnessed how our health promotion programs have made a dramatic difference in the lives of our patients over the years. Patients are often more relaxed about talking to the community health workers than they are talking to their provider, and the community health workers have the opportunity to give them that extra care and attention.
Enabling Services Manager
Joined One Community Health in 2017
Alicia Swift has worked for One Community Health as the Enabling Services Manager since January 2017. She provides support to the Salud Program’s community health workers and registered nurses/diabetes educators and also oversees interpretation and translation services for the organization. Originally from the Gorge, Alicia has bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in Spanish from the University of Oregon. During college, she studied abroad in Querétaro, Mexico, which was the catalyst for her joining the Peace Corps in 2010, serving as a health volunteer in rural Guatemala for two years. There, she further discovered her passion for public health and working with underserved populations. After the Peace Corps, Alicia earned a master’s degree in public health at the University of Arizona, focusing her studies on family and child – global health. At the same time, she managed a non-profit free health clinic that served a unique population in Southern Arizona with more than 90% of the patients being Spanish speaking and dealing with multiple chronic diseases and many barriers to care. After graduation, Alicia returned to the Northwest and found home again at One Community Health. Since joining our team she has greatly enjoyed being able to work with the Spanish-speaking population and growing the chronic disease prevention services. In her spare time, Alicia enjoys any activity that allows her to be in nature regardless of the weather, good food, travel and spending time with family and friends.
Certified Community Health Worker & Case Manager
Joined One Community Health in 2003
Evaristo Romero has worked for One Community Health’s Salud program since 2003. He loves the opportunity to teach patients and make a difference in their disease management. He has recently gained new skills in helping people manage their weight in a healthy way and has been very popular in that role. He teaches classes and provides one-on-one support for many patients. As someone who long ago worked in the orchards and saw the benefit of health of wellness, he knows that health promotion programs enable the clinic to reach many more people in ways that are effective for conveying health information and support. Over the years, Evaristo has created valuable connections with our local patients as well as the returning migrant farmworkers we serve both at orchards and in special health clinics throughout the summer months.
Certified Community Health Worker
Joined One Community Health in 2017
In 2012, Araceli moved from Michoacán, Mexico to the Columbia River Gorge, where she fulfilled her high school studies at Hood River Valley High School. After graduation, she obtained her credentials as a child development associate, then in 2015 became a certified community health worker (CCHW) through Nuestra Comunidad Sana’s training, offered by Next Door Inc. In addition, Araceli has worked as a teacher for Oregon Child Development Coalition, focusing on migrant families and supporting family wellness. She is passionate about working for the community and has a strategic vision and professional maturity that has come with working directly with people throughout the Gorge. Known as a solid team player, a creative type, and someone who values initiative and punctuality, Araceli is a much-appreciated part of One Community Health. In her spare time, she loves to go hiking with her family, be with her children, dance and eat Italian food.
Certified Community Health Worker
Joined One Community Health in 2015
Born and raised in the Columbia River Gorge, Maria Acevedo discovered her interest in becoming a community health worker after her father experienced an illness. While he was sick, she played the role of “translator,” helping advocate for him during his provider visits to get the health education and support he needed. After joining One Community Health in 2015, Maria quickly worked toward gaining her certification as a community health worker and is now bridging key gaps between the Latino culture and today’s health care system. Maria says she’s proud to work in place that’s not only trained her to do her job but grow personally as well.
Chronic Disease Specialist
Joined One Community Health in 2013
Tara has several degrees, having graduated from the University of Oregon with a bachelor's in both Spanish and physiology, as well as another bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Portland. Prior to earning her nursing degree, she worked in research at Oregon Health & Sciences University and also spent some time volunteering through the Peace Corps in Paraguay. Tara's commitment to her patients and One Community Health is real. A certified diabetes educator and chronic disease specialist, she's a big advocate for providing and supporting whole-person health care to the vulnerable and underserved populations and uses her bilingual skills to provide continuity of care in her patient interactions. Outside of work, Tara spends her free time mountain biking and gardening.
Salud Program
Joined One Community in 2016
Caitlyn Witte moved to the Columbia River Gorge in 2016 after graduating with her bachelor of science in clinical nutrition. Caitlyn studied clinical nutrition at Francisco Marroquín University in Guatemala where she was able to obtain vast clinical experience and become fluent in Spanish. Caitlyn’s clinical rotations throughout her education included some of the main public hospitals in Guatemala. There, she was able to head various pediatric departments as well as gain experience with Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. Caitlyn is currently in the process of obtaining her RD credentials here in the United States. She is passionate about our "Nutrition on a Budget" program and helping meet patients where they are with individualized plans to provide some of the best preventative medicine there is—quality nutrition!
Chronic Disease Specialist
Joined One Community Health in 2013
Jennifer Wardell started work at One Community Health as a registered nurse in the Hood River clinic. About three months after starting with there, she moved our facility in The Dalles and has been there ever since. Jennifer works as the Salud program RN in The Dalles and became a certified diabetes educator in 2017. Jennifer enjoys working with and helping patients improve their overall health and meeting their health goals. Jennifer first became interested in working in the field of diabetes when she worked for Portland Diabetes and Endocrinology clinic, assisting in clinical research studies. In her off time, Jennifer enjoys time with her family and being outside as much as possible either hiking, skiing, running, or biking. Jennifer has lived in the Columbia River Gorge since 2001 and loves making The Gorge her home.
Spanish Medical Interpreter
Joined One Community Health 2011
Lizbeth grew up in Parkdale, Ore. and graduated from Hood River Valley High School in 2009. She then went on to earn her medical assistant certificate from Columbia Gorge Community College in 2013 as well as an associate of science degree from the same college in 2016. Lizbeth seems to never stop learning! She is currently finishing her nursing degree at Columbia Gorge Community College as well and became a qualified medical interpreter in 2015. Lizbeth joined the One Community Health team in 2011 and says she loves that she's able to help bring exceptional medical care to our patients. She is also proud to work for an organization that uniquely puts their patients first. She feels that just in her six years of working with us, she's seen a number of improvements in our organization and has loved witnesses and being part of that incredible change for the better!
Community Health Worker
Joined One Community Health in 2016
Jazmin moved from Salem to the Columbia River Gorge in 2015 and joined One Community Health a year later. In her role as a community health worker, she provides patients with birth control and pre-conception counseling as well as gives guidance and education to pregnant woman so they get the very best prenatal and post-partum care. Jazmin also helps connect patients to key community resources that empowers their ability to thrive. Big on building relationships with her patients, Jazmin loves that she gets to see many of them from the moment they get their pregnancy test to when they are holding their baby in their arms. Jazmin brings great patience, compassion, and knowledge to her job, listening to patient's stories and addressing questions and concerns. Outside of work, Jazmin loves spending time with family, visiting Mexico and eating lots of sushi.
Spanish Medical Interpreter
Joined One Community Health in 2011
Josefina “Josie” Luna, is one of our qualified Spanish medical interpreters at One Community Health. Born in White Salmon, she grew up mostly in Hood River and has held prior positions in health care, working at Central City Concern and Oregon Health & Sciences University, prior to joining our team. At One Community Health, Josie has held positions with us as our medical records clerk and team assistant. Josie brings her infectious smile to One Community Health and puts our patients at ease, which is always helpful in terms of enabling good communication between them and our providers. When she’s not busy interpreting for us, she loves traveling and makes an effort to do this at least once or twice a year. She find exploring other places fun and exciting because she appreciates learning the similarities and differences among cultures around the world.