Office of Community Health Work

The Office of Community Health Work (OCH) improves health and access to care for residents living in central and southern Illinois. We do this by creating sustainable, forward-thinking and research-based initiatives designed to make an impact.

Welcome

The OCH team includes experienced community health workers, health educators, nurses and licensed clinical social workers. Our staff is trained in evidence-based approaches such as motivational interviewing and trauma-informed care, which help us build trusting relationships with our central and southern Illinois neighbors. We provide research-informed programs that both prepare the next generation of community health workers and support better health outcomes today. Our goal is to engage patients and improve care for people facing complex medical, psychological and social needs.

SIU Medicine staff work in community garden

About our mission

Established in 2019, the Office of Community Health Work simplifies complex care by supporting programs that improve access, foster self-sufficiency and promote healing across central and southern Illinois. Through motivational interviewing, harm reduction and trauma-informed care, we offer services that reduce isolation and build trust within communities. Our work includes community health worker services, trauma-informed care training and medical student hotspotting experiences. We also partner with hospitals, clinics, police departments, courts and schools to decelop population health-focused initiatives. 

Our team brings together health workers, nurses, health educators, licensed clinical social workers and other professionals working collaboratively to deliver compassionate care.

Through SIU Medicine’s community health programs, individuals and families in Springfield and beyond receive personalized support for chronic disease management, mental health, maternal health and environmental education. Led in part by community health workers, these programs connect people with needed resources while strengthening the health and resilience of neighborhoods across the region.

Latest articles

Ginger Meyer and Allison Jackson

Ginger Meyer honored for leadership in trauma recovery

Ginger Meyer has spent more than twenty years helping children and families in southern Illinois heal from trauma, and her steady leadership recently earned national recognition from the Academy on Violence and Abuse. As clinical director of SIU School of Medicine’s Children’s Medical and Mental Health Resource Network, she has expanded access to trauma-informed care across rural communities, supported partners who serve children affected by abuse and violence, and trained hundreds of graduate students in evidence-based treatment. Her service with AVA strengthened national efforts to integrate trauma-informed practices into health care, and colleagues praise her ability to unite teams, guide change and keep families at the center of the work. Through her leadership, more children across central and southern Illinois can find safety, support and hope close to home.
Moy Clinic Building in winter

AFSCME, SIU School of Medicine ink 3-year agreement

SIU School of Medicine and AFSCME Local 370 have finalized and ratified a new collective bargaining agreement, effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028. The union represents more than 800 school employees across its campuses.
Fran Owens

Fran Owens honored for work at Survivor Recovery Center

SIU Medicine care provider Fran Owens has been named Illinois' Social Worker of the Year.

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