Mechanisms for Community Health Worker Action on Patient-, Institutional-, and Community-Level Barriers to Primary Care in a Safety-Net Setting
Medically and socially complex patients disproportionately face barriers to primary care, contributing to health inequities and higher health care costs. This study elicited perspectives on how community health workers (CHWs) act upon barriers to primary care in 5 patient and 3 CHW focus groups. Participants described how CHWs acted on patient-level barriers through social support, […]
Health Start Program Evaluation Impact Report
The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the impact of the Health Start Program, Arizona’s longstanding community health worker (CHW) intervention, on maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes. Key findings included: Participation in the Health Start Program during 2006 to 2016 is associated with statistically significant decreases in adverse birth outcomes and increases in […]
Community health workers’ non-technical skills for delivering primary healthcare in low-income areas
To overcome the poor conditions of low-income areas in developing countries like Brazil, Community Health Workers (CHWs) are required to exceed the regular set of formal skills they are used to employ. In this study, we aim at identifying the non-technical skills CHWs must develop to cope with the extraordinary situations that occur in vulnerable […]
Exploring the Role of Community Health Workers in Improving the Collection of Family Health History: A Pilot Study
Community health workers (CHWs) have been successful partners in addressing public health and health care challenges but have yet to be engaged in efforts to promote family health history (FHH) collection. FHH information is a key factor in determining disease risk and supporting screening and prevention across multiple diseases. The collection of FHH information could […]
Community Health Workers’ Critical Role in Trust Building Between the Medical System and Communities of Color
This article interrogates elements of routine medical practice in New York City to argue for reforms of hospital culture through relational trust-building capabilities of community health workers. The takeaways include the following: Trust is not the default for patients of color. Asking many patients of color to “unlearn” their mistrust of hospitals should be reversed […]
Understanding California’s Community Health Worker/Promotor Workforce
In California, one of the most culturally diverse states in the country, health care must bridge cultural and linguistic divides to serve all communities equitably. As trusted community members with lived experience, community health workers and promotores(CHW/Ps) have a long history of connecting those not well served by the traditional health care system with culturally […]
CHWs Improving Health Outcomes in Rural South Carolina
The following case studies show how CHWs are changing lives and improving health outcomes throughout South Carolina.
Change agents in the oncology workforce: Let’s be clear about community health workers and patient navigators
Despite efforts of professional organizations and government agencies to solidify the professional identities of community health workers and patient navigators in the oncology workforce, the scientific literature perpetuates wide variation in the nomenclature used to define these natural change agents, who have proven efficacy in improving access to quality cancer care for historically marginalized populations. […]
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services State Plan Amendment Review Process
Graphic of state plan amendment review process at the federal level.
Department of Health Care Access and Information Proposed Trailer Bill Legislation – Community Health Worker Certification
This is a proposed legislation for the California Department of Health Care Access and Information regarding CHW certification.
