Community Health Workers in the Midwest: Understanding and developing the workforce Findings from a Study of Community Health Workers’ Role, Professional Development, and Cancer Information Needs Conducted for the American Cancer Society

Community Health Workers (CHWs) play a unique and valuable role in their communities, particularly in reducing health disparities by reaching underserved populations. To support efforts to build CHWs into a sustainable component of the health care system, the American Cancer Society – Midwest Division sought to increase understanding of and document the work of the CHW workforce specifically in the four states they serve – Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. They contracted with Wilder Research to assess CHW needs and to conduct a return on investment study.