A Cross-Cutting Workforce Solution for Implementing Community–Clinical Linkage Models

Drawing from different streams of literature on (1) the effectiveness of CHWs in addressing patients’ social needs and (2) the effectiveness of practice facilitation in building practice capacity to integrate evidence-based strategies to improve care, we propose that small, independently owned practices strategically employ practice facilitators, who are specially trained quality improvement coaches, to integrate CHWs into their primary care teams to support the effective implementation of community–clinical linkage models. We argue that the role of practice facilitators is well aligned with the goal of implementing innovative team care models that link patients to community services through the addition of CHWs to the primary care team, representing a cross- cutting workforce solution for small, independently owned practices to address upstream factors affecting the health of their patients.