A Study of the Community Health Worker In the Kansas City Region and Beyond

The purpose of the white paper is: 1) to educate key audiences on the role and value of Community Health Workers; 2) to provide insight into the necessary building blocks for successful Community Health Worker (CHW) programs and community-wide workforce development efforts; and (3) to document the work in the Kansas City region to increase the use and acceptance of CHWs. As such, the white paper has three components: a literature review on the role and value-add of CHWs; documentation of the successes and lessons learned of the Kansas City Regional CHW Collaborative’s efforts to build a sustainable regional CHW workforce; and an analysis of emerging trends in the operation of successful CHW programs.