There is robust and compelling evidence that community health workers play an essential role in delivering life-saving healthcare globally. But women, who make up 70% of this workforce, face significant gender-based challenges including safety concerns, inadequate pay, and limited career advancement. As over 40 countries in Africa have made commitments to professionalize … [Read more...] about Achieving Gender Equity in the Community Health Workforce
Program Design
The Community Health Systems Reform Cycle: Strengthening the Integration of Community Health Worker Programs Through an Institutional Reform Perspective
Because community health workers (CHWs) are key to achieving health equity, governments and CHW program managers are interested in effective ways to scale up CHW programs. Experts developed a framework based off of CHW program scale-up efforts across 7 countries and found that successful scaling of CHW programs was dependent on iterative learning and public health solutions … [Read more...] about The Community Health Systems Reform Cycle: Strengthening the Integration of Community Health Worker Programs Through an Institutional Reform Perspective
Assessing selection procedures and roles of Community Health Volunteers and Community Health Management Committees in Ghana’s Community-based Health Planning and Services program
In Ghana, community health volunteers (CHVs) and community health management committees (CHMCs) are essential to providing health care and fostering a sense of community ownership. This study sought to understand the criteria used to select these crucial community-based providers. The authors found that selection processes for CHVs and CHMCs vary widely; they suggest … [Read more...] about Assessing selection procedures and roles of Community Health Volunteers and Community Health Management Committees in Ghana’s Community-based Health Planning and Services program
Work environment factors and provider performance in health houses: a case study of a developing country
The way in which health facilities are built impacts the ability of CHWs to perform their roles as intended. Hasan Yusefzadeh and Bahram Nabilou evaluated characteristics of physical work environment factors in Urmia, Iran to understand their impacts on CHW performance. Technical and office equipment layout had the greatest impacts on CHW performance. … [Read more...] about Work environment factors and provider performance in health houses: a case study of a developing country
Community-based participatory design of a community health worker breast cancer training intervention for South Florida Latinx farmworkers
Communities with limited access to medical care benefit from CHW-led education for noncommunicable diseases such as breast cancer. Natalia Rodriguez recruited community members to help design a culturally-appropriate, CHW-led education for breast cancer awareness and screening among South Floridian Latinx farmworkers. Implementation of this program demonstrated effective … [Read more...] about Community-based participatory design of a community health worker breast cancer training intervention for South Florida Latinx farmworkers