By: Leah Poffenberger, Senior Manager, Communications  

Millions of Americans are impacted by heart disease, diabetes, or obesity—often in tandem. These conditions affect people across all demographics, but certain communities are at higher risk for developing one or more of these chronic diseases due to factors such as limited health care access, food insecurity, and housing instability.  

This week, National Health Council (NHC) released a new Conversations with Trusted Messengers video series titled “Advancing Advocacy for Chronic Disease Prevention & Management” to raise awareness about chronic disease risk factors and to empower patients with information about care and preventive measures. Two panel discussions feature leaders working daily to improve health outcomes in their communities:  

• • Dr. Tara M. Chico-Jarillo, Executive Director, Health Services Division – Pascua Yaqui Tribe 
  • Wandy Hernández, Co-Founder & Co-Executive Director – Illinois Community Health Worker Association  
  • Patty Nece, Immediate Past Chair – Obesity Action Coalition 
  • Dr. Armando Peña, Assistant Professor, Department of Health & Wellness Design – Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington 
  • Anita Sathe, Chair, Case Management – South Asian Heart Center 
  • Caleb Snead, Graduate Research Assistant – University of Georgia CARE Center and Fishers of Men Initiative 

Each of these experts contributed their unique experiences and insights but followed common themes of the need to address underlying issues contributing to chronic conditions; the importance of access to trusted messengers who reflect the demographics of a community; and the importance of innovative solutions to reduce health care disparities and improve health outcomes.  

As part of the roll-out of the new series, Chico-Jarillo and Snead joined Dr. Omar A. Escontrías, Senior Vice President of Equity, Research & Programs, at the 2025 Health Leadership Conference to discuss chronic disease management and prevention in our communities and what can be done to reduce disparities and improve long-term health outcomes.  

The session dove deeper into the issues covered in the video series, including how to best engage with local communities and the importance of trusted messengers. Panelists encouraged attendees to “remember the why” behind what patient organizations do— the people they serve.  

This campaign marks the third NHC Trusted Messengers series, which was first launched in 2023 with a conversation around increased complication risks from COVID-19 for those with certain chronic conditions. The second Trusted Messenger campaign, released in late 2024, centered on the changes in Medicare that offered seniors a way to spread out their medication costs over the year and limited those costs to $2000 each year.  

Explore all of the NHC’s Trusted Messenger campaigns on the NHC website, and view all videos from the latest series here.