When people think of healthcare, they often picture exam rooms, lab results, and hospital stays. But for many patients, the biggest barriers to better health don’t start or end inside a clinic. They start with access to food, housing, transportation, insurance, and a system that can feel overwhelming even on a good day. That’s where Community Health Workers (CHWs) come in.
At Torrance Memorial Medical Center, CHWs Llanet Renoj and Cassidy Castro are helping redefine what care looks like by meeting patients where they are and guiding them through the maze of services that support healthier lives.
“We’re advocating for people who need a voice and don’t always have one,” Cassidy said.
An Evolving Role in Modern Healthcare
Across the country, CHWs are becoming an increasingly integral part of healthcare delivery, especially as health systems place greater emphasis on health equity, access to care, and addressing social determinants of health. By bridging clinical care and community-based support, CHWs help patients move from crisis-driven care toward stability, so they can live healthier lives.
Llanet and Cassidy represent a significant milestone for the medical center as the first CHWs to work primarily in an inpatient hospital setting, expanding Torrance Memorial’s ability to care for the whole community, not just within clinic walls, but during some of patients’ most critical moments.
“More and more hospitals are realizing how much community-based work matters,” Llanet said. “Traditionally hospitals just treated the immediate needs of a patient. But as healthcare has evolved, prevention has become the goal, giving people the tools and resources they need to live healthier, live longer, and avoid trips to the emergency room.”
Torrance Memorial’s Community Health Worker program is part of a long-standing partnership with Providence and the Charles Drew University’s Community Health Worker Academy, which places students in local healthcare facilities for training.
Torrance Memorial first introduced the CHW role in August 2021 with the hiring of Jessica Verdugo, whose work focused on ambulatory and outpatient care. During her time at Torrance Memorial, Jessica received referrals from physicians and obstetric providers at the Carson Family Medicine Center, as well as from Torrance Memorial Home Health, where she helped patients, particularly vulnerable individuals, navigate complex healthcare systems.
Her work included connecting specific community groups with wellness and disease management education, managing enrollment and transportation for public benefit programs such as In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), assisting with paperwork and eligibility applications, and collaborating closely with care teams to coordinate services. Inspired by her impact at Torrance Memorial, Jessica returned to school in March 2024 to pursue her Registered Nursing degree.
What makes the current program distinct is its inpatient focus. While Torrance Memorial had not previously utilized CHWs in the inpatient setting, leadership recognized the growing need.
Lindsey Stone, RN, Torrance Memorial’s director of Care Management, understood the unique and vital role CHWs could play and championed their integration into hospital-based care. Her team worked to develop the role, and Torrance Memorial continues to serve as a training site through the Providence partnership.
“We’re able to dedicate more time to each patient, giving them the dignity and respect they deserve, ensuring their unique concerns and specific needs are addressed. This work is the essence of patient-centered care.” Lindsey said.
More Than Appointments and Referrals
Llanet and Cassidy initially focused on helping patients identify their primary care providers, especially those enrolled in managed medical plans. Some patients were unaware of which primary care doctor they were assigned or were assigned doctors located far from where they lived, making it nearly impossible for them to show up to appointments.
The work quickly expanded.
“We learned that primary care wasn’t always the patient’s most urgent need,” Cassidy explained. “Housing, food, transportation, mental health support: those things often come first.”
Llanet and Cassidy help patients schedule appointments, arrange transportation, and even make phone calls on their behalf when patients don’t have reliable access to a phone. They work closely with social workers, assist with referrals for enhanced care management, and help patients navigate outpatient services.
Sometimes, the challenges are hidden. “We wouldn’t know someone was unhoused until we tried mailing information and realized there was nowhere to send it,” Llanet said. “Or we’d see patients assigned to providers who had retired years ago.”
Advocacy in Action
For Cassidy, the role is a natural extension of her academic background. She studied social determinants of health in college and knew she wanted to work in public health advocacy.
“This is what that looks like in real life,” she said.
That advocacy can be life changing. Cassidy recalled working with a patient who delayed care because she couldn’t get an appointment with a newly assigned doctor. Her condition escalated into a serious infection.
“She let me call her doctor’s office and help figure out what went wrong,” Cassidy said. “We fixed the insurance issue, got her an appointment, and I followed up with her every week, building a relationship through trust and time.”
Cassidy then worked with the patient’s daughter to secure a primary care doctor for her.
Trust, Language, and Time
For Llanet, the work is deeply personal. She remembers accompanying her mother to the emergency room, feeling lost and unsure where to turn.
“Now I understand how the hospital works,” she said. “It feels good to explain these things, not just to patients, but to my own family.”
As a Spanish speaker, Llanet also bridges language gaps that can prevent patients from fully sharing their concerns.
“One patient thought I was only there to give him primary care information,” she said. “But once we sat down and spoke in his primary language, he opened up. He was unemployed, supporting a family of six, and stressed about food. That conversation could have easily been missed.”
Llanet helped the man enroll in CalFresh, a federally funded program providing monthly benefits to help low-income Californians buy nutritious food.
A Lasting Impact
Both Llanet and Cassidy emphasize CHWs don’t replace existing care teams: they strengthen them. By taking the time to listen, follow up, and problem-solve, CHWs help reduce repeat emergency visits, improve continuity of care, and address the real-life factors that shape health outcomes.
“Honestly, it doesn’t feel like just a job,” Cassidy said. “It feels like a platform to remove barriers.”
Through the work of CHWs, Torrance Memorial continues its mission to improve the overall health of the South Bay — by caring for the whole person, not just the diagnosis.
