Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.
In episode 22, we interview Ton Mirás Neira, community health worker project manager for the Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE) project at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
He oversees 60 community health workers in 20 Kansas counties, concentrating on the social determinants of health. Community health workers are frontline public health workers who serve their fellow community members by helping them navigate and connect to the medical and social services they need.
In this episode, Ton discusses growing up in Spain and how he discovered a passion for helping others.
“I was a very, very curious kid,” he said. “My first intention was to be a veterinarian, and I learned everything about animals. But soon enough, like when I was a teenager, I knew that my heart was on helping people, so I did a lot of volunteering in the community.”
That passion drove him to complete a rigorous college program to become a sign language interpreter for the deaf-blind community, where he provided interpretation in a wide range of settings — from legal proceedings and workplace meetings to supporting mothers during labor and delivery. Ton shares how filling in for an interpreter for a couple of days ultimately led to him becoming an official government interpreter for the Spanish Parliament.
In 2012, he moved to the United States. He discusses learning about the U.S. health care system and finding a new career as a community worker.
Early in this new career, Ton was embedded in the emergency room at KU Medical Center to serve clients. There, he helped connect people with primary care physicians and navigate prescription coverage. Those efforts ultimately helped people receive better care and significantly reduced return visits to the ER.
In a six-month period, 85% of the people he worked with didn’t return to the ER. Of those who did return, there was a 75% reduction in hospital admissions and a 65% reduction in length of stay for those who were admitted. It was an eye-opening experience about the robust impact CHWs could make.
“I’m just grateful for everything that I’ve learned,” he said. “You know, working with the emergency room, I would never be here if I didn’t have all that experience.”
He shares his deep passion for the CHW profession and the fulfillment he finds in seeing how CHWs are making a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
“Seeing the smiles, seeing how they accomplished their goals, reading their success stories, I’m in heaven with that,” Ton said. “I feel really empowered by the CHWs that are working in the community.”
In this episode, she also discusses:
- His entrance into the world of community health workers
- How he’s been able to help his clients, as well as save the health system money, in his role
- His work to help underserved communities in Kansas
- Identifying barriers and navigating how community health workers can bridge cultural gaps between patients and medical providers
- How CHWs can help address the social determinants of health
- His role as past co-chair for the Kansas Community Health Worker Coalition and efforts to help the profession grow
- The COPE program and how it tackles the social determinants of health in 20 Kansas counties using CHWs and other community partners
- Creating a documentary called “Lifelines of Care: CHWs Making a Difference,” which shares the stories of three CHWs, highlighting the role and how they help improve lives in their communities
And much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Ton is an innovative leader improving the health of Kansans.
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