HURON — Sau-Mei Ramos recently received the 2024 South Dakota Community Health Worker of the Year Award from the Community Health Worker Collaborative of South Dakota.

The award was presented to Ramos at the third annual Community Health Worker (CHW) Conference held in Sioux Falls May 21-22.

Ramos is a CHW, also referred to as a community liaison, at Huron Regional Medical Center (HRMC). She has worked as a community liaison since the CHW grant-funded program began at HRMC in the fall of 2022.

Originally from Humacao, Puerto Rico, Ramos earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing in Puerto Rico and holds a Community Health Worker Certificate. While her dream is to earn her nursing license in South Dakota, the community health worker program allows her to live her passion of helping others. Ramos is fluent in Spanish and English and assists in connecting patients to the many resources and services available in the community to ensure everyone has the opportunity to achieve their optimal health.

“The opportunity to connect with an individual and make a difference in their life is an honor,” said Ramos. “Anytime I can educate a patient so their life can be improved, I’m extremely gratified.”

The nomination for the Community Health Worker of the Year award was a result of the impact Ramos has made on patients and caregivers she’s worked with and for paving the path for a strong CHW program to support the community.

“Sau-Mei has been instrumental in establishing our community liaison program here at HRMC. I am extremely proud of the dedication she has to improving the lives of others and the support she displays for each patient she assists,” said Teresa Haatvedt, health care career and outreach director for HRMC, who oversees the community liaison program at HRMC.

Ramos lives in Huron with her fiancée, daughters and extended family. She participates in the Huron Area Women’s Business Leaders group, Connecting Cultures, Huron Rising 2.0 Cultural and Health sub-committee, and Coalition on Aging. She also serves on the Huron Community Foundation and Peoples Transit boards.

With the CHW grant coming to a close in June, HRMC is committed to continuing the program with three community liaisons to help bridge the gap between health care and the important health and social resources in the community.

Liaisons have assisted patients in areas such as accessing dental care, prenatal care, completing applications for social assistance, shopping for healthy foods, improving living conditions and more. To learn more about the community liaison program at HRMC, visit huronregional.org/chw.