Ivy Bell connects East End residents to the very resources she benefited from over a decade ago
Empathy and kindness guide the community health worker’s approach to work and life.
When you walk through the front doors of the VCU Health Hub, you’ll probably be greeted by Ivy Bell’s smiling face at the front desk. Bell is the hub’s in-house certified community health worker and resource specialist, which means that she connects people in the East End to important housing, food, employment and health resources.
Her job isn’t as simple as connecting residents to a singular resource, however. Oftentimes, people aren’t aware of the resources that are available to them, or they come in for one issue to later find that they would benefit from many of the available resources. Thus, much of Bell’s job involves listening closely to clients’ stories, reading between lines of what they tell her and following up with them regularly to help them achieve their goals.
Her advice to those who may be reluctant to reach out for help: “I always say, you never know if you don’t try. If you don’t try, then how do you know if you’re gonna get the resource? Or how are you going to find the house, or get the food, or get the help that you need if you don’t try or if you don’t ask?”
Read the full article at VCU Health News Center.
Categories VCU Health Hub at 25th