Health educators seek to motivate and enable patients to develop the skills and attitudes necessary for improving and maintaining their health.

The aim is to equip patients with the health-related problem solving and informed decision-making abilities they need to thrive.

The Health Education Department offers individual and group educational sessions on family planning, prenatal, chronic disease, and adolescent health topics. Health educators may also teach patients about advantages and disadvantages of medications and procedures or offer educational presentations to community and school organizations. Health educators promote self-care and encourage patients to use medical and social services wisely. They also assist patients by educating them on strategies to promote their health and reduce risky behaviors. By focusing on prevention, health education reduces the financial and human costs that our community would spend on medical treatment.

The health educators at People’s Community Clinic frequently work with other clinic providers to enhance the quality of care provided to patients. For example, health educators might be found working with our Chronic Disease Management Program to aid patients in learning about their illness and the medical care and lifestyle choices best suited for this chronic condition. Health educators might also be found in the community working on outreach.