KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Health Department is taking a new approach in hopes of helping the community get, and stay, as healthy as possible.

The department said more than 50 people have signed up to share public health information with their neighbors and other people they meet though out the day. Each person will also be trained to give presentations.

They will be part of the health department’s Community Wellness Ambassador Program.

The health department hopes the ambassadors will make it easier for the community to learn about the services available.

“These community ambassadors give us a direct link to residents who may never think to call us or visit us with their questions,” Dr. Marvia Jones, health director, said. “We have many residents who call on us with questions or come in for vaccinations, birth certificates or to report problems in their rental home. But we know there are so many more who don’t know about our services and how we can help them.”

Community Wellness Ambassadors receive a stipend of $225 per month for their communication efforts.

The health department is also recruiting ambassadors that speak Spanish to reach Kansas City’s Hispanic/Latinx communities.

“We are committed to improving lines of communication with residents whose first language is not English,” Jones said. “As Kansas City becomes more diverse, we know the health department needs to be representative and must provide health information for different cultures and languages.”

To learn more, visit the Kansas City Health Department’s website, or call 816-513-6326.