Examination of Community Health Workers in Rural Pennsylvania

Community health workers (CHWs) play a vital role in the health care delivery system of rural Pennsylvania counties. With current shortages of health care professionals in rural Pennsylvania, CHWs may potentially play a significant role in the delivery of health services. Currently, however, the role of CHWs is not well defined. This may be due to the lack of standard certification and training for CHWs. Efforts toward certification and training programs are evident throughout Pennsylvania, yet they lack consistency. This research, conducted in 2016 and 2017, was designed to gain an understanding of CHWs in rural Pennsylvania.