Annual Awards
The North Carolina Community Health Center Association Awards Program was initiated in 2002, and over the years has paid tribute to many outstanding leaders from North Carolina’s community health centers and partners.
2023 Steve Shore Community Catalyst Award
In 2003, the North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA), celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. To commemorate this important milestone, NCCHCA chose to recognize its migrant health legacy through the creation of the annual Steve Shore Community Catalyst Award. Steve Shore was the second Executive Director of NCCHCA, serving in the position for eleven years from 1987 to 1998. It was under his leadership that NCCHCA initiated several important migrant health activities, including the first East Coast Migrant Stream Forum.
As a tribute to Steve Shore and his commitment to improving the health and well-being of farmworkers, NCCHCA honors the legacies of others who share this same vision through the Steve Shore Community Catalyst Award. Each year, through a nomination and selection process, NCCHCA identifies an individual or one organization involved in farmworker health, whose work has incited positive change in the health and wellness of farmworkers and demonstrates:
Awareness
Works to identify and raise awareness in the community about the health and lives of farmworkers and their families
Advocacy
Promotes and advocates for policy & practices that improve the health & access to health care for farmworkers & their families.
Leadership
Leads and influences issues affecting the health of farmworkers and their families and inspires excellence in others.
Partnership
Partners with other advocates & community agencies on initiatives to enhance the health and lives of farmworkers & their families.
༺ In 2023, the Steve Shore Community Catalyst award went to ༻
The University of Vermont Extension’s
Bridges to Health Program
The University of Vermont Extension’s Bridges to Health Community Health Worker (CHW) Program is a health outreach program for migrant farmworkers in Vermont. Utilizing a care coordination model carried out by six regional Migrant Health Promoters, the program empowers farmworkers to make timely health decisions.
In addition to offering care coordination to migrant farmworkers in need of health care services, Bridges to Health creates capacity-building opportunities for local health entities to implement linguistically and culturally appropriate services. Their bilingual community health workers assist migrant agricultural workers and accompany workers through the complexity and difficulty of the healthcare system.
They work seamlessly with local health entities to ensure continuity of care, transportation to appointments, language access throughout all points of care, and support with wrap-around services. Due to the skilled accompaniment and support of Bridges to Health’s CHWs, hospitals and health clinics in Vermont have a greater understanding of the unique challenges these workers face and are better equipped with the knowledge of how to help them access care.
