Our Model
Our model features three components
1
Community Health Workers
2
We don’t just focus on medical
3
Our clients co-design our programs
1 Community Health Workers: Our Driving Force
AIRnyc’s driving force is our team of Community Health Workers (CHWs). They know the communities and cultures we serve and are trusted sources. We aren’t just a phone call – we meet our clients in their homes to help the whole person and family.
A bridge between underserved communities and healthcare systems
Simple, low-cost interventions
Relatively inexpensive staffing model, compared to medical models
Speak the languages (10 spoken currently among our staff)
Lola Simpson, AIRnyc CEO
“Community Health Workers are by far the most efficient and effective way to provide services to communities experiencing major barriers to healthcare.”
↓65%
Involving Community Health Workers can reduce hospital visits by 65%
2 We don’t just focus on medical.
We dig deeper to address other nonmedical factors that contribute to our clients’ poor health. These Social Determinants of Health are the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, work and play that can impact health, such as healthcare access and quality, education access and quality, social and community context, and economic stability.
3 Co-Design
Giving a voice to our clients
One unique aspect of our model is the inclusion of something called co-design, which simply means we bring our current and former clients together to design and improve our programs. We consider this aspect of our work, critical to our success and also an additional service to our clients, who, by participating, are learning to self-advocate.
Dalia, Maternal Health Client and member of AIRnyc’s Obstetrics Patient Advocacy Group (Abogacia de Grupo Obstetrico)