By Grant Walker – Like many social workers, Jealena’s story begins in her youth. She grew up in a family with a history of homelessness, severe mental illness, and substance abuse. She was 24 when her uncle, who was only 28, died from a drug overdose. “He was my best friend,” she says, “But there was a lack of services. He was lost to the system and fell through the cracks.” His tragedy inspired her. “You have to create a world better than what you got,” she says.
Jealena’s mission to help others began at Woodland Community College, where she earned an associate’s degree in psychology in 2017. Next was a bachelor’s in social work at Chico State. She completed a two-year internship at Lake County Behavioral Health and joined Adventist Health in Clearlake as a community health worker in 2022. She completed her master’s in social work at Humboldt State in 2023 and is now the lead social worker in the Adventist Health Community Supports program.
“Adventist Health is very proactive and committed to the community,” she says. “It’s a beautiful program.”
Community Supports works with local leaders on the profound health challenges facing Lake County. It brings together rural agencies and community organizations to identify people who frequently rely on community services. Those with the greatest needs receive targeted support.
That is where Jealena and her coworkers step in. They meet clients in the two Adventist Health temporary housing facilities–Restoration House and Hope Center–at the mobile shower trailer, and even in the streets.
“We bring the services to them,” she says. “It’s magic finding patients and bringing services to them. Everybody has a story; you never know.”
The collaboration of agencies and organizations is the key to success, Jealena says. She recalls one patient, a mother with several children. “She was dying of cancer,” she says. “They were all homeless.” Jealena worked with North Coast Opportunities to find her a home and pay rent for six months. Then she assisted them in getting furniture, food, and other donations from Pastor Don’s organization.
“She was crying,” Jealena remembers. “She had struggled her entire life and did not want to leave her kids in a car. Now the kids were housed and going to school.”
Community Supports has an internship for Woodland Community College students studying in the human services program. Interns work in the field with a mentor like Jealena. They can work in the shelter, go into the field, or rotate. “They find out what it is like to do street care,” Jealena says. “Serving people with many barriers to health: they have no phones, substance abuse problems, homelessness…if you want to do social work, this is where you are going to get it. By the time you earn your associate’s degree, you will know if this is what you want to do.”
For people who complete both the internship and the human services program at Woodland, Jealena says, there is a great career growth opportunity. Graduates can work as community health workers (CHW) and move to higher levels of the profession with more education. With a master’s, they can be a social worker and eventually become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Jealena is studying for her doctorate and will soon complete her clinical hours for her LCSW certificate.
“The sky is the limit,” she says. “People go into this work to make the world a better place. Community health workers are the foundation of the work we do: building rapport with our patients and the community.”
Jealena grew up in a family with many struggles. Today, she is helping families while raising her own three children. She is proud of the work she does, and when it gets difficult, she remembers her uncle and why she chose the path she is on.
“It doesn’t matter what past you have,” she says. “You use your experiences to build a connection, to find a purpose.”
