PMH Welcomes New Community Health Worker

Pulaski Memorial Hospital is pleased to welcome Lisa Jachim, Community Health Worker (CHW), to its Integrated Behavioral Health Program. This strategic addition reinforces the organization’s commitment to providing whole-person care by addressing both physical and behavioral health needs in a compassionate, coordinated way.

As a Community Health Worker, Jachim will serve as a vital link between patients and the services they need, helping individuals and families navigate resources, manage social determinants of health, and overcome barriers to care. Working closely with primary care providers and therapists, she will assist patients with a wide range of basic living needs—including housing, transportation, access to food, and employment—by offering culturally sensitive outreach, education, and advocacy.

“We are thrilled to welcome Lisa to the team,” said Catherine Dywan, LCSW, RPT, Director of PMH’s Integrated Behavioral Health Program. “Her dedication to community outreach and health equity will enhance our ability to meet patients where they are and ensure that their basic needs are being met so the patient can focus on healing physically and emotionally.”

The Integrated Behavioral Health Program at Pulaski Memorial’s Medical and Surgical Group embeds behavioral health services into primary care, offering patients timely, team-based care that treats the whole person. By adding a CHW to the care team, the program expands its ability to provide wraparound support and reduce health disparities. The position was partially funded through a grant from the Pulaski County Community Foundation. “We are thankful for the Community Foundation’s support,” said Dywan, “more and more people in our community need additional resources to meet the most basic needs. With its support, the Community Foundation is helping PMH meet those needs in the community.”

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) has been actively integrating social determinants of health into its programs and policies, recognizing their significant impact on health outcomes. When patients discuss some of these issues with their provider or therapist, the patient will be referred to Lisa for a social determinants of health needs assessment.  Lisa will work with the patient on identifying a treatment plan and providing the necessary resources to the patient to reach their goals.. By assisting patients in meeting the most basic needs, the hope is that they can focus on their medical care and start living a better and healthier lifestyle.

The Integrated Behavioral Health Program is part of the hospital’s Medical and Surgical Group. The team consists of three Behavioral Health specialists and one Addiction Therapist. The team sees patients in Culver, North Judson, and Winamac. The CHW will be seeing patients in all six PMH clinic locations.  Patients must be established with a PMH provider for services. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call (574) 946-2194 and press option 4.