Tandem Health Wins Agricultural Worker Health Employee of the Year State Award

Tandem Health would like to congratulate Sonya Del Rio, Tandem Health's Director of Enabling Services, on receiving the Agricultural Worker Health Program Employee of the Year Award at the 2023 South Carolina Primary Health Care Association's (SCPHCA) Annual SEA Retreat this weekend in Charleston, SC. The SCPHCA is the unifying organization for Community Health Centers (CHCs) in South Carolina. Tandem Health is one of 23 CHCs in South Carolina.

The Agricultural Worker Health Employee of the Year award recognizes an employee that consistently demonstrates an exemplary and noteworthy performance in Migrant Health efforts. The employee works beyond what is required to improve migrant healthcare, demonstrates helpfulness towards the people encountered in migrant health efforts, and demonstrates initiative and good problem-solving ability.

"Sonya first worked in the center as the Medicaid eligibility worker and became a full-time employee in 2013, as the Coordinator for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) overseeing the Outreach and Enrollment Counselors. Advocating for this population of hard-working individuals is truly a passion of hers and it shows in her work every day. Sonya supervises multiple individuals that help all people in our community navigate the healthcare system and provides assistance by connecting them to various resources to help mitigate social determinants of health," said Christy Richardson, Tandem Health's Director of Development. "Sonya exudes the Tandem Health spirit and is a role model for the organization and the team she leads.”

“In 2022, her team was awarded the title of ‘Community Health Workers of The Year’ by the SC Community Health Worker Association,” continued Richardson. “She was heavily involved in making sure Tandem Health was a grant recipient which helped fund new Navigator positions within the organization. All of this work allowed Sonya and her team to serve the Agricultural Worker Health Program at the highest level. She and her team were able to serve 830 farmworkers in 2022. These individuals were able to receive medical coverage, access to community resources to improve quality of life, and receive health education in their native language."

Congratulations to Sonya and thank you for all your hard work and dedication.

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