Community Health Outreach Workers: Voices and Issues – A qualitative research study

The Virginia Center for Health Outreach (VCHO) creates a statewide infrastructure to support community health worker (CHW) programs across Virginia. VCHO most frequently uses the term CHW and occasionally, community health advisor (CHA) to include all lay health resource persons who work within their own communities. The purpose of this study is to solicit direct input from target CHW populations that the VCHO will utilize to guide its program development. Research, including this study, is one of the Center’s primary activities. Other activities focus on coordination, education and training, policy, funding and sustainability.