El Sol launches free digital platform to support essential community health workers

Community health workers, aka promotoras, have emerged in recent years as an essential component of health education and healthcare access in the Coachella Valley and elsewhere, after decades of little recognition for their work.

El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center is taking its support for community health workers to the next level. It recently launched The CHW Learning Hub, a free digital platform that provides capacity-building resources, tools and forums. The hub is described as a place where community health workers "can connect and share experiences so they are equipped to make a meaningful difference in their communities." 

Visit the website. 

The CHW Learning Hub is supported by a two-year, $150,000 grant from the Desert Healthcare District & Foundation, which has a long relationship with community health worker organizations. In 2020, the agency established the Coachella Valley Equity Collaborative with Riverside University Health System, which also partnered with local organizations that employed community health workers. 

These workers were often the first people to connect with residents in remote and underserved communities of the Coachella Valley, educating them about COVID-19 resources, testing and vaccines. They often would canvass neighborhoods, providing education door to door and communicating in multiple languages as needed.

In 2023, the District & Foundation hosted A Night of Stars gala to formally celebrate and recognize the invaluable contributions of community health workers.

As of June 3, 2025, the hub has registered 300 community health workers and 103 agencies, said Alex Fajardo, El Sol's executive director. 

To learn more about the hub, check out the fact sheet.