Twenty Community Health Advocates wrap up targeted two-month summer outreach effort to promote preventive health and dispel disease misinformation.
(SAVANNAH, Ga, Healthy Savannah has completed Cohort 9 of its Community Health Advocate (CHA) program, training members of the community to share vital, research-based health information in their local neighborhoods, churches and community groups.
Running from June 15 through August 15, the Cohort featured a streamlined two-month format requiring 10 hours of community engagement from each of the 20 participants. Healthy Savannah intentionally selected a deep bench of previously trained advocates who worked in tandem with new trainees to achieve a goal of providing 200 hours of combined community service throughout neighborhoods in Savannah and Chatham County.
Since Healthy Savannah established the CHA program in 2021, more than 80 community members have completed CHA training, with participants receiving updates, guidance and protocols from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“We also rely greatly on our experienced advocates who already possess strong connections and deep trust within their neighborhoods,” said Nichele Hoskins, CHA program administrator. “Their familiarity with the material allows them to hit the ground running, bringing updated CDC recommendations directly to the places where Savannahians live, work, and gather.”
Throughout the summer, advocates engaged residents across a wide variety of locations and events, including church and community health fairs, voter information rallies, neighborhood association meetings, senior centers, back-to-school giveaway events, family reunions, workplace gatherings, and casual interactions in banks and grocery stores.
“The primary mission of Cohort 9 was to encourage community members to make vaccine choices grounded in sound science and to maintain preventive habits such as regular handwashing, masking, and staying home when sick to slow the spread of communicable respiratory illnesses,” said Hoskins.
Advocates also focused on empowering residents to become their own best health advocates by asking questions and seeking trustworthy information.
For several advocates, participation has been a multi-year commitment to community service.
“I signed up for all nine cohorts because I care about my community and want to give back,” said Cassie Jenkins, a veteran CHA. “Being out where people are, answering their questions, and helping my neighbors protect their health has been very rewarding.”
Advocates also focused on providing clarity around complex public health topics.
“There is so much conflicting information out there, which often creates fear and hesitation,” said Ervenia Bowers, who also served in all nine cohorts. “Providing clear, research-backed health facts directly to people in our neighborhoods helps dispel those fears and empowers them to make the best decisions for their families.”
While Cohort 9 marks the conclusion of this specific initiative, Healthy Savannah emphasizes the lasting value of peer-to-peer health education.
“The Community Health Advocate model has proven time and again both locally and globally that active community members sharing preventive health information is an effective, efficient, and vital resource,” said Armand Turner, executive director of Healthy Savannah. “Although this iteration of the CHA program is coming to a close, the impact of training over 80 trusted neighborhood leaders will continue to benefit Savannah. Healthy Savannah recognizes the immense value of this work, and we hope to continue offering community health advocacy programs in new formats in the future.”
To learn more about Healthy Savannah and its ongoing health equity initiatives, or for additional information on becoming a CHA or volunteering, visit HealthySavannah.org.
ABOUT HEALTHY SAVANNAH
Healthy Savannah is a 501©(3) public charity and a public-private coalition of more than 200 businesses, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, schools, neighborhood organizations, and healthcare and government agencies. The organization leads and supports a culture of health in the Savannah area by:
• Creating environments that make the healthy choice the easy choice
• Building collaborative networks that identify and share resources
• Collecting and disseminating data and best practices
• Implementing innovative programs
• Advocating for effective, evidence-based policies
Since its inception in 2007, this innovative, cross-sector collaboration has delivered lasting community benefits through numerous multi-agency projects, grants, and policy initiatives — including the Smoke Free Air Ordinance that continues to protect Savannah’s residents 15 years later.
Healthy Savannah was honored in 2026 with the Outstanding Partner Award from Georgia Southern University’s Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health and in 2022 with the CDC’s REACH Lark Galloway-Gilliam Award for Advancing Health Equity. Funded by the CDC’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) Program, Healthy Savannah is working to support sustainable health equity for racial and ethnic minority populations in low-wealth neighborhoods, with a focus on nutrition, physical activity, and breastfeeding.
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