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So, You’re a Public Health Worker and Want to Engage with Your Community?

There’s an art to telling the public what’s good and what isn’t.

René F. Najera, MPH, DrPH
The Quantastic Journal
5 min readJan 21, 2025

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Outdoor gathering with a large group of people socializing under string lights. The crowd includes individuals of diverse backgrounds, enjoying a lively and cheerful atmosphere.
Imagine being an outsider and showing up to this party, telling people how to wash their hands. (Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was charged with directing a group of public health nurses who responded to community and institutional settings. The nurses would fan out across the county (a large county in northern Virginia) and help communities and businesses deal with the pandemic.

Misinformation and disinformation were not the only problems they encountered when trying to communicate our recommendations. Unfortunately, Communities of Color and immigrants were not well-represented in our team. While we had people who spoke languages other than English, it was difficult to communicate because of the technical jargon or scientific concepts being relayed.

This didn’t help our response until we learned to do community engagement better. You see, community engagement is the lifeblood of effective public health work. It’s where the science of health meets the art of connection. But what does “engaging with your community” really mean? And how do you do it in a way that doesn’t feel like you’re the awkward guest at a block party?

It’s About Listening, Not Preaching

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René F. Najera, MPH, DrPH
René F. Najera, MPH, DrPH

Written by René F. Najera, MPH, DrPH

DrPH in Epidemiology. Public Health Instructor. Father. Husband. "All around great guy." https://linktr.ee/rene.najera

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