CHR Profiles
Rosanne Headswift CHR Director, Northern Cheyenne Tribe
Patricia Rowland CHR, Northern Cheyenne Tribe
In the spring and summer of 1969, before CHRs were even called CHRs, Rosanne Headswift and Patricia Rowland signed up to become Community Health Workers. They have been serving the Northern Cheyenne Tribe from the community of Lame Deer, Montana as CHRs ever since.
For Rosanne, it’s the only job she’s ever had. She loves coming to work because every day is a challenge. Throughout her years in the program she’s been able to help in several specialty areas. She’s worked as an optometric assistant and an outreach coordinator and since 1995, the director of her Tribe’s CHR program. The job continues to appeal to Rosanne because it offers an opportunity to serve her people and help them with their healthcare needs.
Patricia Rowland & Rosanne Headswift
Patricia used to see CHRs taking blood pressure at her old place of work, and she thought the job looked interesting. When an opening came up she applied; it meant a shorter daily commute & she thought she might like the work. She’s worked with the ENT clinic doing hearing screenings and helping fit hearing aids and she enjoys the home visits she does, helping the elderly and people with diabetes and other chronic health problems. She likes the job because it stays interesting and she loves working with people of all ages.
These two dedicated individuals agree that the role of the CHR is very important because of their ability to help community members feel more at ease receiving healthcare services. They know everyone in their community – their language, culture and traditions. Rosanne and Patricia are certain that some individuals they serve would not receive necessary healthcare if they didn’t have a CHR to encourage them during home visits and accompany them to clinic appointments. They can make their patients feel more comfortable receiving care, help them understand medications or medical instructions, and provide comfort and friendship as they observe and monitor their overall health status.
When asked to name a memorable moment in their history with the program, Rosanne’s came easy. She will never forget when she was awarded the CHR of The Year (1994) by NACHR. It was a surprising & exciting highlight in her career to be recognized at a national level. Patricia remembers 1972, when she and her aunt drove 120 miles, one way, on bad roads to take EMT classes because there were no EMTs in their community. They received their training, and following on-site instruction in the Emergency Room and on ambulance runs at a regional hospital in Denver, they were able to return to their home community and proudly serve as EMTs.
Congratulations to these two outstanding CHRs for their many years of dedication and service!
Georgine Brown CHR, Northern Arapaho Tribe
Georgine Brown has only been a CHR for a short time, but helping people has been her lifelong mission. As a CNA she’s worked in a variety of hospitals, nursing homes and home health jobs.
In her new position as a CHR for the Northern Arapaho Tribe on the Wind River Reservation, Georgine gets to use her medical knowledge and love for helping people. She also brings a special mission to her work, one born of personal loss & heartache. In 2006, Georgine lost a 5 year old grandson to cancer. More recently, her daughter has been diagnosed with cancer and is currently receiving treatment. Through the experiences of cancer in her family, Georgine has become painfully aware of some of the struggles a family can endure as they face the disease. Anxiety, fear, and not knowing where to turn are just some of the emotions she knows cancer patients feel. In her position as a Community Health Representative, Georgine has made it her mission to do whatever she can to help cancer patients and their families. She visits them in their homes and helps out wherever they need it, sometimes assisting with jobs around the home, sometimes just listening and sharing experiences. Through her own ordeals with cancer, Georgine has discovered resources available to help with travel expenses or other family supports, and she shares all of the knowledge she’s gained with others, to help them along their journey with cancer. It helps her too. She says she’s always wanted to help others, and having gone through cancer in her family, she knows how important it can be just to have someone to talk to.
Phyllis Robertson works for the Eyeglass Program of the Northern Arapaho Tribe and has known Georgine all her life. She’s impressed with the way Georgine has poured herself into learning all she can about cancer so she can share it with other patients and families. She remarked that whatever Georgine does in her service of others, she goes “all out”. “She’s a caring person, and what she does comes from the heart. I’m glad she’s working for the CHR program. She really benefits the tribe,” says Robertson.
We welcome your questions, comments, photographs or article ideas. If you’d like to give special recognition to a CHR in your area, please send an email to feedback@nachr.net, or contact your NACHR board representative.