Monya Saunders

Monya Saunders is a Community Health Worker with the Transitions Clinic and uses her Community Health Worker training to provide healthcare and social service navigation for women leaving incarceration. She supports clients in connecting with both primary and specialty care appointments (including substance use treatment and HIV treatment); providing health education specific to re-entering the community; and navigating the complex health and social services system in new haven. As part of the Health Justice Lab, Monya helped deliver the WORTH intervention focused on giving women leaving incarceration tools for improving their physical and mental wellbeing. Monya’s research activities now include following up with participants in our JUSTICE study focused on cardiovascular diseases among those recently released from incarceration. Monya is currently coordinating an education program sponsored by the Tow Foundation focused on training New Haven residents on COVID-19 prevention and vaccination efforts in New Haven. For ten years prior to Yale, Monya worked at Leeway in New Haven where she oversaw social and health services for individuals living with HIV and Hepatitis C.