CHW Central

A global resource for and about Community Health Workers

North America (U.S. and Canada)

Promoting the Health of the Community: Community Health Workers Describing Their Roles, Competencies, and Practice

Despite their fast paced growth and increasing utilization, there is still a lack of community health worker (CHW) training programs, certification and  credentialing by state agencies. CHW views and inputs on their roles are also lacking in policy development and in the literature. This book seeks to fill this gap by publishing CHW-authored reports from the field; it informs … [Read more...] about Promoting the Health of the Community: Community Health Workers Describing Their Roles, Competencies, and Practice

Promoting Gender Responsive Policies and Programmes for Community Health Workers: a Gender Analysis Framework

Informal occupational roles with the lowest pay and the least power have been dominated by women. Recent findings from Afghanistan showed that male CHWs were praised for their volunteer work while female CHWs doing similar work were not praised as their efforts were viewed  “expected” (Najafizada et al. 2019). COVID-19 has further highlighted the gendered nature of the … [Read more...] about Promoting Gender Responsive Policies and Programmes for Community Health Workers: a Gender Analysis Framework

Can Community Health Workers Increase Palliative Care Use for African American Patients? A Pilot Study

African American patients with cancer underutilize advance care planning (ACP) and palliative care (PC). This feasibility study investigated whether community health workers (CHWs) could improve ACP and PC utilization for African American patients with advanced cancer. It determined that utilization of CHWs to address PC domains and social determinants of health is feasible. … [Read more...] about Can Community Health Workers Increase Palliative Care Use for African American Patients? A Pilot Study

Webinar- Enhancing Community Health Research By Engaging Community Health Workers

This webinar presents experiences and research findings on the role of CHWs as research partners. Sharing evidence from North American and African contexts, it outlines the ways CHWs have been involved in research. Through case examples from Uganda and Liberia, the webinar provides examples and recommendations for engaging CHWs as co-investigators and research partners. … [Read more...] about Webinar- Enhancing Community Health Research By Engaging Community Health Workers

Promoting Community Health Worker Leadership in Policy Development: Results from a Louisiana Workforce Study

In 2019, the Louisiana legislature created the CHW Workforce Study Committee (Committee) to study the workforce and provide the state with policy recommendations. The Committee engaged CHWS, their employers and an academic team to collect qualitative data on the experiences of CHWs and employers statewide. Findings suggest a need for widespread education about CHWs and support … [Read more...] about Promoting Community Health Worker Leadership in Policy Development: Results from a Louisiana Workforce Study