The Faith Network Podcast
Community Health Workers in Arkansas
Episode Summary
They're not doctors. They're not nurses. But they might be the bridge that saves your life. Jennifer Coopwood (Certified Community Health Worker, UAMS Barbershop Talk Study) and Dr. Brittany Ayers (UAMS College of Nursing) join The Faith Network to discuss the growing movement of community health workers across Arkansas—meeting people where they are, translating medical jargon into plain language, and closing gaps the healthcare system was never designed to reach. This episode is brought to you by the Translational Research Institute.
Episode Notes
Healthcare doesn't always happen in a hospital. Sometimes it happens in a barbershop. Sometimes it happens over a shared meal at church. Sometimes it happens because someone from your neighborhood took the time to walk you through an application you didn't understand.
That's the work of a Community Health Worker.
In this episode of The Faith Network Podcast, we sit down with two women doing transformational work across Arkansas—connecting people to resources, building trust where the system has failed, and proving that healthcare access starts with relationship.
Jennifer Coopwood – Certified Community Health Worker and Community Health Coordinator for the UAMS Barbershop Talk Research Study
Dr. Brittany Ayers – Assistant Professor at UAMS College of Nursing–Northwest, specializing in maternal and child health research with rural and Marshallese communities
Here's what we cover:
- What is a Community Health Worker? CHWs connect people to housing, medical care, employment, and social services. They help with applications, make phone calls, and walk alongside pregnant mothers. The titles vary—navigator, coordinator, advocate—but the mission is the same: be the bridge.
- The Barbershop Talk Study: Jennifer coordinates a UAMS research initiative focused on men's health and reducing unhealthy drinking—conducted inside barbershops across Arkansas. Why barbershops? Because they're sanctuaries. Safe spaces. And the results speak for themselves: 60+ shops, 600+ men, and real behavior change at 3- and 6-month follow-ups. Find them on Facebook and Instagram: UAMS Barbershop Talk.
- Reaching the Marshallese community: Dr. Ayers has spent years building trust in Northwest Arkansas—attending church, sharing meals, listening first. Her team created group prenatal and postpartum care programs that replace traditional models with culturally responsive, community-centered care. The outcomes have improved. The bonds have lasted.
- Expanding into the Delta: Arkansas's Delta region is an "obstetric desert"—a red zone for maternal mortality. Dr. Ayers is working to bring these programs statewide, reaching the communities that need them most.
- Why CHWs matter: They demystify healthcare. They translate medical language into something you can actually understand. They reduce fear. And now, CHW services are covered by Medicaid—making this model more sustainable than ever.
- How to become a CHW: Certification is available through ARCHWA (Arkansas Community Health Workers Association) at ARCHWA.com. The application fee is $50, and certification lasts two years. ARCHWA hosts an annual summit that brings CHWs together from across the state.
Jennifer said it best: "Anybody can be a community health worker—but not everybody can be a community health worker." It takes authenticity. It takes passion. And it takes showing up where people already are.
Connect with the guests: