‘I Certainly Wasn’t As Patient-Centred’: Impacts and Potentials of Cross-Training Paramedics as Community Health Workers
This article explores how a group of paramedics were cross-trained as community health workers (CHWs) in Indiana. Cross-training paramedics as CHWs provided a foundation to better understand the social issues that occur outside of the hospital and clinic, thereby enabling further empathy among paramedics and seeking means to connect patients to other health and social […]
Differentiating Between Community Health Workers and Health Navigators
This document outlines the definitions and scopes of practice for community health workers vs health navigators.
Development of Training Curriculum to Improve Patient Communication Skills and Social Support Among Community Health Workers
Background: Effective provider communication skills are important for patient decision-making and understanding, particularly for those with low health literacy. A gap exists in training methods and curriculum for community health workers (CHWs). Brief description of activity: Through a clinical and academic partnership, pilot training curriculum focused on patient communication skills was developed to align with […]
Hiring Practices that Support State Integration of Community Health Workers
Community Health Workers (CHWs) have an unusually close understanding of the areas they serve. This trusting relationship enables CHWs to serve as a liaison or community link between health care and social services and the community to increase access to services, improve the quality and cultural competency of the delivered services, and increase health outcomes […]
A New Way to Support Frequent Emergency Department Visitors
A Texas safety-net system has shifted its approach to caring for regular emergency department users.
Development of Training Curriculum to Improve Patient Communication Skills and Social Support
Effective provider communication skills are important for patient decision-making and under-standing, particularly for those with low health literacy. A gap exists in training methods and curriculum for community health workers (CHWs). Through a clinical and academic partnership, pilot training curriculum focused on patient communication skills was developed to align with CHW scope of work. The […]
Team-Based Care to Improve Blood Pressure Control: Recommendation of the Community Preventive Services Task Force
The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends team-based care to improve blood pressure control on the basis of strong evidence of effectiveness in improving the proportion of patients with controlled blood pressure (BP) and reducing systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP). Evidence was considered strong based on findings from 80 studies of team-based care […]
Capturing Value in Social Health: Lessons in Developing the Business Case for Social Health Integration in Primary Care
The integration of social health interventions, including screening patients for unmet social needs and linking them with services and other supports, requires long-term funding. The goal of this analysis is to develop a practical approach for business case analysis to support the spread and sustainability of social health interventions in varied institutional and market settings. […]
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services State Plan Amendment Review Process
Graphic of state plan amendment review process at the federal level.
Pathways to Establishing State CHW Certification
Community Health Worker (CHW) Certification is an endorsement from leaders in the profession that an individual meets predefined standards. It operates at a state level and can be attained by CHWs to demonstrate mastery of standards. The following resource provides general guidance for advocates seeking to establish CHW certification in a state that does not […]